The complement-dependent cytotoxicity of antibodies in tumour-bearer serum (TBS) from rats carrying the chemically induced D23 hepatoma was investigated. Target cells were D23 cells from solid tumours (D23sol), from ascites tumours (D23asc), or from in vitro growing cell cultures (D23cc). The D23asc and D23cc cells were not lysed when used as target cells in the assay, although they evoke cytotoxic antibodies when growing in vivo. The D23 ascites cells became susceptible to complement-dependent lysis after trypsin treatment. This was, however, not due to unmasking of target antigens, since untreated D23 ascites cells absorbed cytotoxic antibodies as efficiently as trypsinized cells. No increase in susceptibility to complement-dependent lysis was observed after trypsin treatment of D23cc cells. Absorption of cytotoxic antibodies with D23cc cells showed no or very low antigen expression on the surface of these cells. They did, however, contain the antigen(s), since 3 M KCl extracts of the D23cc cells could inhibit the complement-dependent cytotoxicity of D23sol TBS against D23sol cells. From these data it was concluded that the susceptibility of hepatoma cells for antibody-mediated complement lysis is not only correlated with antigen expression, as was the case with the in-vitro-cultivated cells, but is also dependent on increased lytic susceptibility after trypsin treatment of the cells.