Macrophage inhibitory cytokine-1/growth differentiation factor 15 (MIC-1/GDF15) 
is a divergent transforming growth factor (TGFβ) superfamily cytokine implicated 
in biological and disease processes including metabolism, cancer, and chronic 
inflammation, but whose receptor has remained elusive. Four laboratories have 
recently identified GFRAL, an orphan receptor of the glial-derived neurotrophic 
factor (GDNF) receptor α family, as the receptor for MIC-1/GDF15, signaling 
though the coreceptor Ret. These data identify a new systemic to central nervous 
system (CNS) circuit that regulates metabolism in response to stress and which 
could be targeted to treat both severe obesity and anorexia/cachexia syndrome.