TNF and Sepsis: Moreover, lack of TNF-α signaling, as in TNF-α receptor (TNFR) deficient (KO) mice or generated by soluble TNFR administration, induces higher resistance to sepsis (Tracey et al., 1987; Mohler et al., 1993; Pfeffer et al., 1993; Guo et al., 2009).