The cytokine-like function of HMGB1 upon inflammatory stimuli after infection or injury relies on the interaction of its reduced form with CXCL12, which promotes CXCR4-dependent recruitment of inflammatory cells to injured tissues (Schiraldi et al., 2012) and exacerbates the immune response in pathological conditions (Proudfoot and Uguccioni, 2016; D'Agostino et al., 2018). The gene discussed is HMGB1; the disease is infection.