One of the primary rRNA binding proteins, it binds directly to 18S rRNA where it nucleates assembly of the head domain of the small subunit. Part of the small ribosomal subunit. A stretch of 270 kb of the mitochondrial genome is duplicated within the centromere of chromosome 2 resulting in the duplication of the gene. The expression of this duplicated gene (At2g07696) is demonstrated. Belongs to the universal ribosomal protein uS7 family.