RPS7 is a structural component of the small ribosomal subunit (40S) essential for ribosome assembly and protein synthesis 1. It functions within the SSU processome during rRNA maturation and ribosome biogenesis in the nucleolus 23. RPS7 undergoes regulatory ubiquitination on free 40S ribosomes; deubiquitinase OTUD6 deubiquitinates RPS7 to facilitate translation initiation and global protein translation in response to cellular stress 4. Beyond its canonical ribosomal role, RPS7 exhibits moonlighting functions as an RNA-binding protein with oncogenic properties. In hepatocellular carcinoma, RPS7 stabilizes LOXL2 mRNA by binding to AU-rich elements in its 3'UTR, activating ITGB1/FAK/SRC signaling to promote metastasis 5. In prostate cancer, RPS7 promotes cell migration by suppressing epithelial-mesenchymal transition markers 6. RPS7 overexpression correlates with poor survival outcomes across multiple malignancies 7. Clinically, RPS7 mutations cause Diamond-Blackfan anemia 8, a ribosomal disease characterized by erythroid aplasia and developmental abnormalities. Notably, RPS7 disruption in mice produces neurological phenotypes distinct from other ribosomal protein mutants, including CNS malformations and memory deficits 8. RPS7 also participates in protein synthesis regulation networks coordinating with translation factors and 14-3-3γ signaling 9, and its expression is altered in Alzheimer's disease brain capillaries 10.