Tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and cis-urocanic acid (UCA) have recently been implicated in the process by which ultraviolet B radiation (UVB) impairs the induction of contact hypersensitivity when dinitrofluorobenzene (DNFB) is painted on UVB-exposed skin. The evidence supports the hypothesis that UVB radiation converts trans- to cis-UCA in the epidermis which in turn causes the epidermis of UVB-susceptible mice to produce/contain excessive local amounts of TNF-alpha. When hapten is painted on TNF-alpha- or UVB-treated skin, contact hypersensitivity fails to develop. As UVB radiation also induces hapten-specific tolerance and suppressor T cells when hapten is applied to UVB-exposed skin of UVB-susceptible strains of mice, we examined whether TNF-alpha and/or UVB-irradiated UCA (UV-UCA) might be similarly involved in the mechanism by which UVB induces tolerance. We report that intracutaneously-injected TNF-alpha and UV-UCA altered the cutaneous environment such that when DNFB was painted on the injected site, hapten-specific tolerance was induced and suppressor cells were generated. However, the tolerance induced by UVB radiation and the tolerance that followed intracutaneous injection of UV-UCA were not reversed by neutralizing anti-TNF-alpha antibodies. Moreover, UV-UCA and TNF-alpha-induced tolerance and suppressor cells in both UVB-susceptible (UVB-S) and UVB-resistant mice, whereas UVB radiation induced tolerance only in UVB-S mice. We conclude that the mechanism by which UVB radiation induces tolerance in mice is separate and distinct from the mechanism by which UVB radiation impairs contact hypersensitivity induction. Moreover, our data support the view that the generation of suppressor cells and the development of hapten-specific tolerance may be mechanistically distinct. The possible molecular and cellular mediators of UVB-induced tolerance are discussed.