High mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) is the best characterized member of the so-called “danger associated molecular patterns” (DAMPs), a heterogenous group of molecules that can be derived from any compartment of the cell and are released or secreted by stressed or dead/dying cells in response to sterile inflammation (e.g., trauma, ischemia, autoimmunity, and cancer). This evidence concerns the gene HMGB1 and ischemia.