IFNA1 and systemic lupus erythematosus: As examples, MPs can shuttle mRNA and miRNA to acceptor cells and regulate their protein translation, MPs serve as a major mobilizable reservoir of tissue factor (TF) and can initiate coagulation, and MPs can alter immune responses in autoimmune diseases, e.g. by triggering dendritic cells to release interferon-α (IFN-α), a major effector cytokine in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) [1, 4, 5].