THP-1 cells were incubated with 50 nM phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) for 48 h before experiments.

Radiotherapy is a crucial approach for treating tumors. However, radiation-induced aseptic inflammation is a common complication. Radiation pneumonitis is the acute manifestation of radiation-induced lung disease, and interleukin 6 (IL-6) is a major proinflammatory cytokine involved in radiation-induced lung injury. Here we found that silencing Zinc finger and BTB domain-containing protein 7B (Zbtb7b) resulted in higher radiation-induced IL-6 production in THP1 cells and BEAS-2B lung bronchial epithelial cells. Mechanistically, Zbtb7b recruited RNA demethylase ALKBH5 to IL6 mRNA. Subsequentially, it demethylated N⁶-methyladenosine (m⁶A) modification of IL6 mRNA and inhibited its nuclear export. Thus, Zbtb2b epigenetically suppresses irradiation-induced IL-6 production in the lungs via inhibiting the m⁶A modification and nucleocytoplasmic transport of IL6 mRNA, serving as a new potential predictive marker and therapeutic target in radiation pneumonitis treatment.