Genetic variability in tumor necrosis factor production: relevance to predisposition to autoimmune disease.

Rather than being involved merely in the effector arm of inflammatory processes that contribute to autoimmune organ destruction, a primary involvement of TNF may be in some of the more basic mechanisms that occur in autoimmune disease. In this review, data are presented on TNF-alpha that suggest the involvement of this cytokine in the genetic predisposition to autoimmune diseases such as lupus nephritis.