RIOK2 is a serine/threonine kinase with dual roles in ribosome biogenesis and cellular regulation. Primarily, RIOK2 mediates final cytoplasmic maturation of the 40S ribosomal subunit by facilitating NOB1, PNO1, and LTV1 release and 18S rRNA processing 1. It regulates metaphase-anaphase transition timing through PLK1-mediated phosphorylation 2. Beyond ribosome assembly, RIOK2 functions as a transcriptional regulator of telomere maintenance complexes (TRiC and dyskerin), with diminished expression correlating with telomere shortening in aging and myelodysplastic syndromes 3. RIOK2 also orchestrates pyroptosis by driving FADD-RIPK1-caspase-8 complex translocation to the endoplasmic reticulum via myosin II activation 4. Clinically, RIOK2 is essential for hematopoietic stem cell differentiation and maintenance 5. Elevated RIOK2 expression associates with poor prognosis in tongue squamous cell carcinoma and non-small cell lung cancer, with knockdown reducing protein synthesis and cell growth 67. RIOK2 phosphorylates MCM7 to promote DNA replication and cell-cycle progression in esophageal cancer 8. In myelodysplastic syndromes with 5q deletion, RIOK2 haploinsufficiency triggers erythroid dysfunction through IL-22 pathway activation 9. These findings position RIOK2 as a potential therapeutic target across multiple cancer types and blood disorders.