Role of VGF-derived peptides in the control of food intake, body weight and reproduction.

VGF is a 68-kDa polypeptide synthesized in neuronal and neuroendocrine cells. It is cleaved into a number of smaller peptides which are stored in dense core vesicles and are likely to be secreted products. The VGF gene is expressed abundantly in the brain, and in peripheral endocrine tissues including the pituitary gland, the adrenal glands and the pancreas but also in the gastrointestinal tract in both the myenteric plexus and in endocrine cells. Several lines of evidence including observation of changes in hypothalamic VGF expression in catabolic states, a hypermetabolic phenotype in transgenic mice lacking VGF signalling, and demonstration of bioactivity of various peptide fragments have led to the view that VGF and/or its derived peptides are involved in the regulation of both energy balance and reproduction. (c) 2008 S. Karger AG, Basel.