In the light of all this, it is possible that the transient up-regulation of costimulatory molecules and HLA-DR in CD16+ monocytes, occurring at the time of the appearance of a PBMC IFNα molecular signature, characterized by enhanced expression of immune-related cytokines/chemokines, can represent a reliable marker of the biologic response to a local IFNα treatment, which may result in the generation of active DC, resembling those naturally generated from this monocyte subset in response to infections and danger signals. This evidence concerns the gene IFNA1 and infection.