TNF and viral infectious disease: In the classic (canonical) NFκB transactivation pathway, the p50/p65 heterodimer is basically activated by pro-inflammatory cytokines like interleukin (IL) 1 beta (IL1β) and tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) and by viral infections resulting in an enhanced expression of multiple inflammatory and innate immune genes (e.g., the cytokines IL6, IL1β, TNFα and the chemokine IL8).