Synthesis and accumulation of the recently identified prostaglandin F2alpha receptor regulatory protein (FPRP) was found to correlate closely with lipid droplet accumulation by 3T3-L1 preadipose cells. FPRP, a transmembrane glycoprotein, has been shown to regulate the binding of ligand to certain seven-transmembrane receptors. Anti-FPRP immunohistochemistry, Western blotting, and metabolic labeling/immunoprecipitation experiments demonstrated that FPRP was not detectable in undifferentiated 3T3-L1 cells. Interestingly, low levels of FPRP mRNA were detected in the undifferentiated 3T3-L1 cells. After induction of adipose differentiation, FPRP mRNA increased approximately 3 fold whereas FPRP synthesis increased approximately 50 fold. Differentiation induction with either dexamethasone/insulin/isobutylmethylxanthine or the thiazolidinedione derivative ADD 4743 were both effective at inducing FPRP accumulation and accumulation of lipid droplets. By co-immunohistochemical and lipid staining, greater than 99% of the cells accumulating lipid droplets possessed FPRP. FPRP mRNA and protein are also found in rat adipose tissue. Treatment of 3T3-L1 cells with an FPRP anti-sense oligonucleotide during differentiation decreased FPRP accumulation and resulted in a decrease in lipid droplets without altering the level of induction of a late marker of adipocyte differentiation, glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase activity. Transient expression of an FPRP cDNA in undifferentiated 3T3-L1 cells was insufficient to induce lipid droplet accumulation.