In the intervening period, the potential role of miR-146a as a negative regulator of the immune response has been highlighted by studies showing TLR/IL-1R-mediated miR-146a expression in multiple cell types and that changes in miR-146a expression is associated with inflammatory diseases including rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus [32,48-54]. Here, IL1R1 is linked to rheumatoid arthritis.