Further, a positive correlation was discovered between miR-21 and high-mobility group box (HMGB), a prototypical damage-associated molecular pattern (DAMP) protein, in HCC cell lines and tissues: HMGB1-upregulated miR-21 expression was shown to depend on the IL-6/STAT3 signaling axis in human HCC [186]. This evidence concerns the gene STAT3 and hepatocellular carcinoma.