The product of this gene is processed into 23- and 30-amino acid neuropeptides that bind and activate two G-protein coupled receptors in the central nervous system. The neuropeptides have been shown to enhance cortisol secretion from adrenal cells through the adenylate cyclase/protein kinase A signaling cascade. The preproprotein is translated using a non-AUG initiation codon that is inferred from analyses of the mouse ortholog. [provided by RefSeq, Jul 2008].