Invasive tumor growth or severe inflammation is accompanied by the extravasation of fibrinogen from leaky or damaged blood vessels and the formation of a fibrin clot. The clot provides a matrix for the inward migration ('invasion,''infiltration') of tumor cells as well as inflammatory cells. The factors that govern the cell/fibrin interaction are not known. We have explored in vitro the possible role of the cell-surface-associated pathway of plasminogen activation in the adhesion of keratinocytes to fibrin and in the invasion of melanoma cells into fibrin gels. Our experiments provided evidence that generation of plasmin at the cell surface destabilizes the adhesive interaction between keratinocytes and fibrin, most likely by cleaving fibrin into fibrinopeptides and destroying its adhesive capacity. Moreover, we found that plasmin generated at the melanoma cell surface promotes the inward migration of these cells into three-dimensional fibrin matrices. In conclusion, the generation of plasmin at the cellular surface may be an important factor in pericellular proteolysis and the dynamic interaction between cells and fibrin-containing pericellular matrix under conditions of tumor invasion and inflammation.