The Src homology 2 containing protein tyrosine phosphatase, Shp2, is a cytoplasmic enzyme. The crystal structure of Shp2 reveals that the N-terminal SH-2 domain folds in on itself to auto-inhibit the phosphatase domain, until which time it binds to a pTyr residue, when the inhibition is relieved. Shp-2 is ubiquitously expressed, functioning in multiple fundamental cellular signaling pathways to regulate basic mechanisms such as proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, motility, and metabolism.

The major interest of our lab is to study the signal transduction pathways  

involved in cancer and metabolic diseases. We use cultured mammalian cells as well as tissue-specific  animals to identify specific abnormalities in these pathways. Our active projects include:

1. (1)Hepatocellular carcinoma development and its microenvironment
   

2. (2)Hepatic nutrient metabolism
   

3. (3)Hematopoiesis and Leukemia
   

4. (4)Leptin signaling and obesity development
   

Please check our recent publications on the above projects. For more details and specific questions, please contact us at gfeng@ucsd.edu.