Although Il6 expression was increased in pristane-injected Cgas-/- and WT mice, Cgas-/- mice showed significantly higher Il6 expression than WT mice (Figure 5T). Since the appearance of AIM 2 correlates with lupus severity (26), the increase of Aim2, Casp1, and Casp11 expression suggested the possibility of inflammasome activation causing pathology of the lungs. This evidence concerns the gene CASP1 and systemic lupus erythematosus.