There are two types of VMATs expressed in humans: VMAT1 and VMAT2. VMAT1 is expressed mainly in large dense-core vesicles (LDCVs) of the peripheral nervous system. VMAT1 may be found in neuroendocrine cells, particularly chromaffin and enterochromaffin granules, which are primarily found in the medulla of the adrenal glands.
VMAT2 favors expression in a variety of monoaminergic cells of the central nervous system, such as the brain, sympathetic nervous system, mast cells,  It is prevalent in β-cells, expressed in blood platelets, and co-expressed in chromaffin cells. Expression of the two transporters in internal organs seems to differ between species: only VMAT1 is expressed in rat adrenal medulla cells, whereas VMAT2 is the major transporter in bovine adrenal medulla cells.