RPS12 is a structural component of the 40S ribosomal small subunit that functions in both canonical ribosome biogenesis and extra-ribosomal signaling pathways. As part of the small-subunit processome, RPS12 participates in early ribosome assembly in the nucleolus, where it associates with nascent pre-rRNA and ribosome biogenesis factors to facilitate RNA folding, modifications, and processing 1. Beyond its structural role, RPS12 regulates stress-responsive translation through an ATF4 regulatory network involving 4EHP and NELF-E, which controls proteostatic adaptation during cellular stress 2. RPS12 exhibits oncogenic functions in multiple cancer types. In gastric cancer, RPS12 overexpression promotes cell proliferation and migration through S100A4-dependent mechanisms, with RNAi-mediated knockdown reversing these malignant phenotypes 3. RPS12 also functions as an unexpected regulator of Wnt secretion and signaling; transgenic RPS12 expression in Drosophila promotes long-range Wingless diffusion and aberrant eye development, implicating RPS12 in Wnt-dependent breast cancer pathways 4. Mendelian randomization analysis identified RPS12 as a causal gene in gastric cancer progression with robust associations to immune cell infiltration 5. These findings establish RPS12 as a multi-functional protein with fundamental roles in translation and emerging roles in oncogenic signaling.