Analysis of the Biological Importance of the VK0RC1 Gene via Knock-Out Mice

摘要

The gene VK0RC1 (vitamin K epoxide reductase complex component 1) encodes an integral membrane protein of the endoplasmic reticulum [1,2] which mediates binding of vitamin K epoxide and Coumarins to the VKOR complex; by now the VKORC1 protein is the only known target of coumarins.The VKOR protein complex is the essential functional unit of the vitamin K cycle, which provides sufficient amounts of vitamin K for the carboxylation of a number of proteins. This posttranslational modification is essential for the activity of all vitamin K dependent proteins (e.g. prothrombin, FVII, IX, and X, proteins Z, S, and C, osteocalcin, matrix-gla-protein, gas6).