The proteolytic activities of human tumor cell lines deriving from bronchial squamous cell carcinoma, a lung metastasis of an embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma and a pleural mesothelioma were measured by use of chromogenic substrates. N-acetyl-alanine aminopeptidase activity, plasminogen activator activity, H-D-Ile-Pro-Arg-p-NA splitting activity as well as plasmin-like activity, cathepsin G-like activity and plasma-kallikrein-like activity were found in cell lysates. The enzymatic activity of N-acetyl-alanine aminopeptidase, plasminogen activator and H-D-Ile-Pro-Arg-p-NA splitting activity changed during culturing. Plasminogen activator and H-D-Ile-Pro-Arg-p-NA splitting activity decreased to very low values, whereas N-acetyl-alanine aminopeptidase activity leveled at 1 x 10(-5) mU/cell. Unlike other proteolytic activities, plasminogen activator was released into the medium. Plasminogen activator activity could be measured in culture medium which contained no fetal calf serum.