Microglia, the primary resident population of innate immune cells in the brain and retina, activates under stress and produces proinflammatory neurotoxic cytokines such as the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and nitric oxide (NO), leading to a cascade of inflammation, which results in irreversible neurodegeneration in various diseases (8, 9), including uveitis (10), glaucoma (11), age-related macular degeneration (AMD) (12), and retinitis pigmentosa (RP) (13). The gene discussed is TNF; the disease is retinitis pigmentosa 1.