Although there is a number of different animal models recapitulating some aspects of pSS pathology, including poly I:C injection, genetic mutations (FASL), and CMV infection or stimulation with autoantigens (Fleck et al, 1998; Scofield et al, 2005; Nandula et al, 2013), we decided to use the poly I:C‐based animal model for our study since it has been shown to induce salivary gland dysfunction and tissue damage (Nandula et al, 2011, 2013) and is based on the activation of the TLR3‐RIG‐I/IFN pathways, which we primarily observed in cDC2 from pSS patients. This evidence concerns the gene FASLG and cytomegalovirus infection.