Prior in vitro studies have demonstrated that ATF5 regulates GDF15 expression in cancer cell lines, including HepG2 hepatocellular carcinoma cells and an epithelioid hemangioendothelioma patient‐derived cell line.[48, 49] Our results extend these findings by demonstrating ATF5‐dependent GDF15 expression in a non‐cancer in vivo model, specifically within neurons following anesthetic preconditioning in the setting of cerebral ischemia. This evidence concerns the gene GDF15 and cancer.