Especially, in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, autophagy is found activated by the pro-inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor α (TNF- α) in osteoclasts, which results in induced osteoclastogenesis and bone resorption in vitro and in vivo, suggesting a central role of autophagy in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bone loss (51). The gene discussed is TNF; the disease is rheumatoid arthritis.