IFNA1 and autoimmune disease: While increasing evidence over the last few years suggests a dominant role for the type I interferon (IFN) pathway in the pathogenesis of many systemic autoimmune disorders such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and Sjogren’s syndrome (7, 8), limited data are available regarding the role of the IFN-α pathway in the pathogenesis of organ-specific autoimmune disorders (5).