Characterization of a gamma-carboxyglutamic acid-containing protein from bone

A gamma-carboxyglutamic acid-containing protein has been purified from the calcified tissues of several vertebrates. The presence of three-gamma-carboxyglutamic acid residues in the bovine protein was established by alkaline hydrolysis and amino acid analysis, a method based upon studies with synthetic gamma-carboxyglutamic acid. The identity of gamma-carboxyglutamic acid in the bovine protein was established by mass spectroscopy on the unknown amino acid isolated from alkaline hydrolysates.