In SLE, neutrophils die upon exposure to SLE-derived anti-ribonucleoprotein antibodies and release NETs containing endogenous DNA as well as neutrophil proteins that enter pDC endocytic compartments and activate them to produce high amounts of IFN-α (Garcia-Romo et al., 2011, Lande et al., 2011). Here, IFNA1 is linked to systemic lupus erythematosus.