Exposure of Pc 12 cells to styrene-7,8-oxide (SO) (0.5-1 mM) caused a rapid increase in cytosolic Ca2+, depletion of intracellular glutathione and ATP, DNA damage and loss of cell viability. Lower SO concentrations (less than or equal to 100 microM), did not cause loss of cell viability or affect cell growth rate. However, at 30 and 100 microM, SO stimulated the formation of alkali-sensitive, DNA single-strand breaks (SSB). DNA SSB were fully repaired when cells exposed to 30 microM SO were subsequently incubated for 3 h in fresh medium, whereas DNA repair was only partial after exposure to 100 microM SO. When cells exposed to 30 or 100 microM SO were incubated with the inhibitors of repair synthesis 1-beta-D-arabinofuranosyl-cytosine (AraC) and hydroxyurea (HU), SSB accumulated, indicating the involvement of the excision-repair system in the removal of DNA lesions. A SO adduct with guanine at the N7 position was detected in the DNA extracted from treated cells. SO did not induce the formation of double-strand breaks, interstrand cross-links, or DNA-protein cross-links. Although cells exposed to 30 or 100 microM SO underwent normal cell division, latent DNA damage was retained for up to 14 subsequent replicative cycles. In addition, SO-treated cells partially lost their normal ability to differentiate in response to nerve growth factor (NGF) stimulation. NGF failed to induce differentiation in cells that had replicated for 20 generations after exposure to 100 microM SO. Spontaneous differentiation stimulated by high-density culture was also inhibited in SO-treated cells. These results indicate that non-lethal concentrations of SO can cause modifications that compromise the ability of Pc 12 cells to respond to NGF and differentiate.