TNF and Autoimmunity: MyD88 on one hand maintains intestinal epithelial integrity and homeostasis,101,102 but on the other hand promotes TNF-independent intestinal inflammation and epithelial tissue damage caused by A20 and ABIN-1 deletion.103 A short isoform of MyD88 (MyD88s), encoded by an alternatively spliced mRNA, has been shown to inhibit the full-length form of MyD88 and thus dampen the downstream activation of TLR signaling and inflammatory response.104,105 How the altered splicing of MyD88 is specifically involved in the development of autoimmunity requires further investigations.