BAX and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: For instance, ALS-derived astrocytes secrete neurotoxic factors that selectively kill MNs in a Bax-dependent mechanism [38], whereas TDP-43-mediated activation of microglia was shown to cause an NF-κB (nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells), AP-1 (activator protein 1) and NLRP3 (NLR family pyrin domain containing 3) inflammasome-dependent pro-inflammatory cascade that was toxic to MNs [39].