Remote control of autophagy and metabolism in the liver.

Systemic control of homeostatic processes is of fundamental importance for survival and adaptation in metazoans. In this issue of Cell Metabolism, Chen and colleagues identify and methodically dissect a signaling cascade that is mobilized by the agouti-related peptide (AgRP)-expressing neurons in the hypothalamus, to ultimately modulate autophagy and metabolism in the liver upon starvation.