Ribosomal protein S1 functions as a termination factor in RNA synthesis by Qβ phage replicase.

S1 is the largest ribosomal protein, and is vitally important for the cell. S1 is also a subunit of Qβ replicase, the RNA-directed RNA polymerase of bacteriophage Qβ. In both protein and RNA syntheses, S1 is commonly believed to bind to a template RNA at the initiation step, and not to be involved in later events. Here, we show that in Qβ replicase-mediated RNA synthesis, S1 functions at the termination step by promoting release of the product strand in a single-stranded form. This function is fulfilled by the N-terminal fragment comprising the first two S1 domains. The results suggest that S1 might also have a role other than mRNA binding in the ribosome.