Cytochrome P4501A1 is induced by PCB 77 and benzo[a]pyrene treatment but not by exposure to the Hudson River environment in Atlantic tomcod (Microgadus tomcod) post-yolk sac larvae.

In fish, the embryos and larvae are the life-stages most sensitive to damage from environmentally borne dioxin-like compounds and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Methods are not routinely available to measure the body burdens of contaminants in embryos and larvae, thus precluding the investigation of links between exposure and biological effects. Quantification of expression of cytochrome P4501A1 (CYP1A1) provides an index of relative exposure of natural populations to bioavailable aromatic hydrocarbons (AH) and an initial evaluation of their biological effects.