Autoimmune attacks may engage, as dominant effectors, CD8+ T cells (e.g. T1D, vitiligo, AA (6, 92, 93)), CD4+ T cells (e.g. MS, SLE, RA, IBD, EAE, autoimmune thyroid diseases, psoriasis (94)), NK cells (e.g. AA, SLE, RA, MS, psoriasis, T1D (95, 96)) or autoantibodies (e.g. SLE, T1D, psoriasis, Grave’s disease, IBD, MS (97)). The gene discussed is CD8A; the disease is type 1 diabetes mellitus.