N-methyl-dibenzo[c,g]carbazole (MeDBC) lacks the potent hepatocarcinogenic activity in mice characteristic for 7H-dibenzo[c,g]carbazole (DBC), while both compounds are local carcinogens, leading to papilloma and carcinoma formation in skin after topical application. Because DNA binding is considered an essential step in the initiation of chemical carcinogenesis, the DNA adduction by MeDBC was compared with that by DBC in mouse liver and skin via a 32P-postlabeling technique. Both compounds elicited chromatographically similar adducts in liver; however, the extent of total DNA binding of DBC was 343- and 265-fold greater than that of MeDBC 24 h after topical and i.p. administration, respectively, of a 37 mumol/kg dose. In skin, the adduct pattern elicited by either compound after topical application was different from that seen in liver, and three of four adducts derived from MeDBC were chromatographically distinct from those produced by DBC. Quantitative analysis revealed that total adduction in skin by DBC was 2.3-fold higher than by MeDBC. When the adduct levels were compared between liver and skin, topically applied MeDBC bound preferentially to skin versus liver DNA by a factor of 10, while the opposite was true for DBC. These data are in agreement with the carcinogenicity reported for DBC and MeDBC and support the hypothesis that the extent of covalent DNA modification by these compounds is associated with their biological activity. We conclude that an unsubstituted nitrogen is essential for the genotoxic activity of DBC in liver but not skin. The results also demonstrate the potential of the 32P-postlabeling assay in predicting the organotropism of closely related carcinogens.