Infection of endothelial cells by SARS-CoV-2 results in damage and the release of mitochondrial DNA into the cytoplasm, inducing cGAS-STING pathway signaling, IFN-I and inflammatory cytokine production and cell death; in phagocytes, enhanced IFN-I production occurs upon phagocytosis of dying endothelial cells and recognition of the DNA from these cells by cGAS. The gene discussed is CGAS; the disease is infection.