The relative contribution of two neuronal .~urface pretenses, plasmin and a pretense with thrombin-like specificity, on NB2a/dl neutoblastoma migration and neuritogengsis were examined. Exogenoua plasmin induced cell body rounding and increased cell migration, but did not prevent or reverse neurite outgrowth. Inhibition of endogenous plasmin by its specific inhibitor, aprotinin, suppressed migration but did not induce neuritogenesis. Removal or inhibition of the thrombin-like pretense by serum deprivation or hirudin addition, respectively, induced neurite outgrowth, as shown in our previous studie~, but did not suppress migration. By contrast, trypsin induced simultaneous cell rounding and neurite retraction. These findingB indicated that plasmin may regulate cell migration, while the thrombin.like protease may regulate facets of neurite outgrowth. Although unable to induce de nero neurito~enesis, plasmin inhibition potentiated the otherwise transient neurites induced by simultaneou~ inhibition of the thrombin-like pretense. Since cultured neuronal cells migrate primarily in the direction of newly elaborated neurites, this findin~ iz interpreted to indleate that cessation of neuronal migration by plasmin inhibition enhances net neurite outgrowth by inhibition of the putative thrombin-like pretense.