The Src homology domain 2 (SH2)-containing tyrosine phosphatase SHP-2 has been implicated in the regulation of proliferation and differentiation in various cell types. Here, we investigated the ability of SHP-2 to mediate insulin-induced adipogenic differentiation of mouse 3T3-L1 cells. We found that the expression of SHP-2 was increased along with adipogenic differentiation. Overexpression of wild-type SHP-2 in 3T3-L1 cells resulted in enhanced adipocyte differentiation. Furthermore, insulin-stimulated adipogenic differentiation of 3T3-L1 cells was abolished by down-regulating SHP-2 expression using short interfering RNA. These results suggest that SHP-2 is a positive effector in signal transduction pathways necessary for adipocyte differentiation. In SHP-2 knockdown cells, the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ, a master regulator of adipogenesis, was entirely suppressed even in the late phase of differentiation, whereas the expression level of C/EBPδ was unchanged. These results highlight a novel role of SHP-2 in the signal transduction pathways regulating adipocyte differentiation.

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