IL-18 is a proinflammatory cytokine that plays an important role in NK cell activation and Th1 cell response. Recently IL-1R-related protein (IL-1Rrp) has been cloned as the receptor for IL-18. However, the functional role of IL-1Rrp is still controversial due to its low affinity to IL-18 as well as the possibility of the presence of another high-affinity binding receptor. In the present study, we have generated and characterized IL-1Rrp-deficient mice. The binding of murine rIL-18 was not detected in Th1-developing splenic CD4+ T cells isolated from IL-1Rrp-deficient mice. The activation of NF-κB or c-Jun N-terminal kinase were also not observed in the Th1 cells. NK cells from IL-1Rrp-deficient mice had defects in cytolytic activity and IFN-γ production in response to IL-18. Th1 cell development was also impaired in IL-1Rrp-deficient mice. These data demonstrate that IL-1Rrp is a ligand-binding receptor that is essential for IL-18-mediated signaling events.