RPL26 is a ribosomal protein component of the large (60S) ribosomal subunit that plays critical roles in protein synthesis and quality control mechanisms 1. As a structural constituent of the ribosome, RPL26 participates in the basic process of protein translation 1. However, RPL26 has additional specialized functions beyond its structural role. It serves as the principal target of UFMylation, a ubiquitin-like modification that occurs predominantly on ER membrane-bound ribosomes and polysomes 1. This UFMylation is catalyzed by enzyme complexes tethered to the ER surface and appears to facilitate cotranslational protein translocation into the ER 1. RPL26 also functions in translational regulation of p53 mRNA following DNA damage, where it enhances p53 translation through interactions with both 5'- and 3'-UTRs of p53 mRNA 2. The UFMylation of RPL26 is essential for ribosome-associated quality control (ER-RQC) at the endoplasmic reticulum, where it coordinates the degradation of arrest peptides from stalled ribosomes 34. Clinically, RPL26 is associated with Diamond-Blackfan anemia 11, and its UFMylation appears important for liver homeostasis and hepatocyte differentiation 5.