Simplified schematics of the mechanisms of prokaryotic transcriptional termination. In Rho-independent termination, a terminating hairpin forms on the nascent mRNA interacting with the NusA protein to stimulate release of the transcript from the RNA polymerase complex (top). In Rho-dependent termination, the Rho protein binds at the upstream rut site, translocates down the mRNA, and interacts with the the RNA polymerase complex to stimulate release of the transcript(bottom).