Such inappropriate TLR responses are most apparent with TNF-α and IL-6, which are involved in the acute inflammation observed in endotoxin shock, sepsis and several autoimmune diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)5, 6, 7. This evidence concerns the gene TNF and systemic lupus erythematosus.