Importantly, we show that these interactions form a positive feedback loop that initiates, amplifies, and sustains the pancreatic inflammation; in addition, we show that a key interaction that is part of this loop, that between pDCs and CXCR3+ T cells, is necessary for the high-level pDC IFN-α secretion underpinning AIP. Here, CXCR3 is linked to autoimmune pancreatitis.