IFNA1 and Autoimmunity: By identifying mechanosensation as a central determinant of nucleic acid–induced immunity, we introduce a new conceptual axis in pDC regulation, one that integrates mechanical force, membrane dynamics, cytoskeletal remodeling, and transcriptional activation, and opens new therapeutic possibilities for harnessing or modulating IFN responses in health and disease with wide-ranging implications for autoimmunity, vaccine design, and immunotherapy.