Nucleoplasmic checkpoint of the 40S ribosomal decoding center maturation

The decoding center (DC) is a key ribosomal structure for accurate translation, assembled in a multi-step process that starts on nucleolar pre-ribosomes and ends in the cytoplasm. While late cytoplasmic steps and their checkpoint mechanisms are well characterized, the regulation of early nucleoplasmic DC assembly is unclear. Here, we show that the essential assembly factor Rrp12 plays a central coordinating role. Using Chaetomium thermophilum and cryo-electron microscopy analyses of fifteen pre-40S intermediates, we demonstrate that Rrp12 C terminus truncation: (1) inhibits release of the Utp14-Dhr1 pair, (2) displaces Tsr1, (3) promotes premature stabilization of h28, and (4) prevents h44 formation. These defects impair final 18S rRNA processing and prematurely activate the quality control kinase Rio1. Our results reveal a nucleoplasmic checkpoint during DC formation and establish Rrp12 as a critical regulator ensuring accurate assembly and orderly ribosome maturation.