Interleukin-1 Receptor 2 Keeps the Lid on Interleukin-1α

The molecular mechanisms that regulate functional activation of IL-1 alpha remain elusive. In this issue of Immunity, Zheng et al. (2013) describe a molecular system implicating interleukin-1 receptor-2 (IL-1R2) as a principal cytosolic factor that controls functional IL-1 alpha activation during necrosis.