For the first time, it has been shown that population of proteasomes is heterogeneous in their RNAse activity. EGF exerts selective effect on different subpopulations of proteasomes. The RNAse activity of cytoplasmic proteasomes is induced under the influence of EGF on epidermoid carcinoma cell line A431. However, the activity of proteasomes isolated from culture medium and of nuclear proteasomes is inhibited by EGF. The above enzymatic activity has been shown to be specifically and selectively dependent on phosphorylation of proteasomal subunits in different subpopulations of proteasomes. Proteasome involvement in the coordinated control of specific messenger RNA molecules stability is suggested, and one of the mechanisms of this control might be an export of specific subpopulation of proteasomes from the cell.