In the present study, we found that dysregulated miR-148a-3p expression plays a critical role in IDD development through its interactions with ADAMTs5 and MMP13. In accordance with miRNA expression profiling via microarray analysis, we found that the expression levels of miR-148a-3p were markedly decreased in degenerated human discs. The gene discussed is MMP13; the disease is intervertebral disk degenerative disorder.