Previous studies from this laboratory have investigated the expression of IL-1β and associated receptors in disc degeneration and shown that IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-1 receptor 1 (IL-1R1) and IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) are expressed by normal disc cells, with an upregulation of IL-1α, IL-1β and IL-1R1, but not the IL-1Ra, during degeneration [7]. Here, IL1R1 is linked to intervertebral disk degenerative disorder.