Growth factor that supports the survival of sensory and sympathetic peripheral neurons in culture and also supports the survival of dopaminergic neurons of the ventral mid-brain (PubMed:10583383, PubMed:9883723). Acts by binding to its coreceptor, GFRA3, leading to autophosphorylation and activation of the RET receptor (PubMed:31535977). Strong attractant of gut hematopoietic cells thus promoting the formation Peyer's patch-like structures, a major component of the gut-associated lymphoid tissue (By similarity). {ECO:0000250|UniProtKB:Q9Z0L2, ECO:0000269|PubMed:10583383, ECO:0000269|PubMed:31535977, ECO:0000269|PubMed:9883723}. This is the function of ENSG00000117407 (ARTN, artemin).