Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41959486›Full record

ArticlebioRxiv : the preprint server for biology2026

A loss-of-function variant in GFRAL associates with increased alcohol consumption in humans.

Johanne Marie Justesen, Kimmie Vestergaard Sørensen, Jayashri Seshadri, Jens Skjoldan Svenningsen, Matthew Aguirre, Yosuke Tanigawa, Robert Minneker, Amalie Rasmussen Lanng, Cecilie Bæch-Laursen, Emilie Skytte Andersen and 7 more

Abstract readPreprint
In one paragraph

Article in bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

17 authors.

Johanne Marie JustesenNovo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark.ORCID 0000-0002-0484-8522
Kimmie Vestergaard SørensenNovo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark.ORCID 0000-0002-3861-4484
Jayashri SeshadriNovo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark.
Jens Skjoldan SvenningsenNovo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark.ORCID 0000-0002-3529-8228
Matthew AguirreDepartment of Biomedical Data Science, Stanford University, Stanford, California, 94305, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-9069-6475
Yosuke TanigawaDepartment of Biomedical Data Science, Stanford University, Stanford, California, 94305, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-9759-157X
Robert MinnekerDepartment of Biomedical Data Science, Stanford University, Stanford, California, 94305, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-8185-5937
Amalie Rasmussen LanngCenter for Clinical Metabolic Research, Gentofte Hospital, University of Copenhagen, 2900, Hellerup, Denmark.ORCID 0000-0003-0199-8733
Cecilie Bæch-LaursenDepartment of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark.ORCID 0000-0002-8526-1079
Emilie Skytte AndersenCenter for Clinical Metabolic Research, Gentofte Hospital, University of Copenhagen, 2900, Hellerup, Denmark.ORCID 0000-0001-7466-9055
Louise J SkovNovo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark.ORCID 0000-0003-2977-9970
Sebastian B JørgensenExternal Exploration and Innovation Unit, Novo Nordisk A/S, 2760 Måløv, Denmark.ORCID 0000-0002-9648-0971
Ulrik BeckerGastrounit, Medical Division, Hvidovre Hospital, University of Copenhagen, 2650 Hvidovre, Denmark.ORCID 0000-0002-1678-7771
Filip Krag KnopCenter for Clinical Metabolic Research, Gentofte Hospital, University of Copenhagen, 2900, Hellerup, Denmark.ORCID 0000-0002-2495-5034
Manuel RivasDepartment of Biomedical Data Science, Stanford University, Stanford, California, 94305, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-1457-9925
Niels Grarup *Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark.ORCID 0000-0001-5526-1070
Matthew Paul Gillum *Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark.ORCID 0000-0003-4893-012X

Funding

Optimizing imputation for diverse populations in a distributed frameworkU01HG009080 · NHGRI · STANFORD UNIVERSITY · PI KENNY, EIMEAR ELIZABETH · 2016 to 2020
$5.2M
NHGRI NIH HHS U01 HG009080
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Alcohol is an ancient and enduring component of the human diet, yet it is a dose-dependent cytotoxin and teratogen, raising the possibility that endogenous, state-dependent mechanisms constrain intake. Growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15) is an endocrine hormone that rises during pregnancy-predominantly via secretion from blastocyst-derived placental trophoblasts into the maternal circulation-and is also induced in other tissues, particularly hepatocytes, by toxins and cellular stress. However, its function in humans remains unclear. Here, we show that circulating GDF15 levels are elevated 5-fold in individuals with alcohol dependence, identify a rare loss-of-function variant in the GDF15 receptor gene GFRAL associated with approximately 2.6 additional UK alcohol units (~21 g ethanol) per week, and demonstrate that recombinant GDF15 reduces alcohol drinking in mice. Collectively, these findings support a model in which GDF15 acts as an endocrine signal induced by chronic alcohol exposure-and potentially during pregnancy-to limit alcohol intake in humans.

Indexed as

alcoholalcohol use disorderethanolgenetic association studyGFRALGrowth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15)UK Biobank

Identifiers

PMID41959486
PMCPMC13060954

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.