Expression and regulation of peripheral NUCB2/nesfatin-1

•Nesfatin-1 is a well-established central inhibitor of food intake.•NUCB2/nesfatin-1 is predominantly expressed in the periphery.•NUCB2/nesfatin-1 is regulated by nutritional status, glucose and sex steroids.

Nesfatin-1, an 82 amino acid peptide was discovered in 2006 in the rat hypothalamus and described as a centrally acting anorexigenic peptide. Besides its central expression and actions, NUCB2/nesfatin-1 has been subsequently described to be predominantly expressed in the periphery and to exert several peripheral effects. The current review focuses on the expression sites of NUCB2/nesfatin-1 in peripheral tissues of different species and its regulation by nutrition, body weight and various other parameters such as fetal development and sex.