The NPLC-KC human hepatoma cell line expresses corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) and it has been demonstrated that CRF secretion and synthesis in this cell line increases in response to activators of the protein kinase A (PKA) and C (PKC) pathways as well as interleukin-1 (IL1). CRF expression with all three agents can be inhibited with the synthetic steroid-dexamethasone (DEX). In this report, we have examined the effect of IL1 (beta form) in the presence and absence of DEX on CRF mRNA (mRNA) expression as well as the expression of human glucocorticoid receptor (GR) mRNA and the mRNA of the proto-oncogenes (c-jun and c-fos) that have been implicated in CRF regulation. NPLC-KC cells were incubated with picomolar concentrations of IL1. Following this total RNA was extracted from the cells and Northern Blots were probed with 32P-labelled human DNA probes for the CRF, GR, c-jun and c-fos genes. Levels of mRNA expression were measured using a PhosphoImager and were normalized to mRNA levels of control probe glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPD). CRF mRNA was significantly increased with IL1 treatment in a time and concentration dependent manner. CRF mRNA expression increased with increasing concentrations of IL1 over the range of 1-100 pM; expression of CRF mRNA also peaked after 24 h of 100 pM IL1 treatment and reached a level of expression approximately seven times higher than control. This pattern of expression was significantly inhibited in the presence of 100 nM DEX. Levels of the GR, c-fos and c-jun mRNAs were also significantly increased in the presence of IL1 and inhibited when DEX was co-incubated with IL1. The results reveal that IL1 stimulation of CRF mRNA expression by IL1 in the NPLC-KC cell line is accompanied by activation of GR mRNA as well as the mRNA of the immediate early genes--c-fos and c-jun. The results also demonstrate that this cell line may serve as a model system for the molecular mechanisms by which IL1 regulates CRF in central nervous system (CNS) neurons.