This article represents the proceedings of a symposium at the 2004 RSA Meeting held in Vancouver, Canada. The chairs were Arthur I. Cederbaum and Raj Lakshman. The presentations were (1) ethanol regulates 2,6-sialyltransferase (2,6-ST) gene expression posttranscriptionally by the interaction of a cytosolic binding protein with 2,6-ST mRNA in CYP2E1- and ADH-transfected HepG2 cells, by Raj Lakshman; (2) nature versus nurture: HepG2-E47 cells as a tool to investigate mechanisms of ethanol-mediated potentiation of cell killing, by Jan B. Hoek; (3) ethanol up-regulates profibrogenic connective tissue growth factor gene expression in HepG2 cells via cytochrome P-450 2E1-mediated ethanol oxidation, by Masahiro Konishi; (4) role of calcium and calcium-activated enzymes in CYP2E1-dependent toxicity, by Arthur I Cederbaum; (5) the use of cell lines to characterize the role of CYP2E1 in the metabolism of farnesol, by Dennis Koop; and (6) studies with HepG2 cells that express the two major ethanol-metabolizing enzymes, by Terrence M. Donohue.