VGF encodes a 70kD polypeptide that shares similarities with the secretogranin/ chromogranin family and is found in the secretory granules of subsets of neurons and endocrine cells. Expression of VGF is both developmentally regulated and in regulated in different brain regions in response to different stimuli. VGF has been shown to play a role in energy homeostasis. Expression of VGF in the hypothalamus of rats and mice is induced by exercise and in response to fasting.