ALKBH5 and intervertebral disk degenerative disorder: Our findings unveil that the inflammatory microenvironment triggers ALKBH5 expression, thereby augmenting m6A demethylation within the 3′-UTR of Runx2 mRNA, culminating in heightened stability of Runx2 mRNA and subsequent upregulation of ADAMTSs and MMPs. Furthermore, we conducted in vivo assessments to elucidate the involvement of Runx2, MMP1a, ADAMTS10, ALKBH5, and YTHDF1 in IDD progression.