Indeed, excessive activation of cGAS by self-DNA released from mitochondria or the nucleus may trigger autoimmunity and is associated with inflammatory diseases such as Aicardi-Goutières syndrome (AGS) (Ablasser et al., 2013b; Crow and Manel, 2015; Chen et al., 2016). This evidence concerns the gene CGAS and Aicardi-Goutieres syndrome.