TNF and diabetes mellitus: In the present study, we analyzed the role of Ufm1 on inflammatory response in DM, and found that the proinflammatory cytokine levels (tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and IL-1β) and Ufm1 expression were highly increased both in the peritoneal macrophages of db/db mice and Raw264.7 cells induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS).