We measured gene expression of paracrine regulators involved in adipocyte differentiation within the stromovascular fraction of abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue from obese individuals with (n = 30) and without (n = 18) type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Despite similar adiposity by design, subjects with T2DM had larger adipocytes (0.92 +/- 0.28 vs. 0.75 +/- 0.17 mu l, p < 0.05) than controls. Gene expression of the adipogenic marker aP2 was lower (0.35 +/- 0.16 vs. 0.58 +/- 0.27 arbitrary units, p < 0.05) whereas the expression of matricellular peptidase, MMP2 was higher (1.65 +/- 10.17 vs. 1.27 +/-0.21, p = 0.02) in T2DM vs. controls. The gene expression levels between the aP2 and MMP2 were inversely correlated (r = -0.32, p = 0.03). We conclude that early steps of adipogenesis may be impaired in T2DM independently of obesity due, in part, to an upregulation of the MMP2 transcription. (c) 2008 Published by Elsevier Inc.