A new vitamin K-dependent protein. Purification from bovine plasma and preliminary characterization

Four proteins active in blood coagulation have long been known to require vitamin K for their proper biosynthesis: factors II, VII, IX, and X. This paper describes the purification of a hitherto unrecognized vitamin K-dependent glycoprotein from bovine plasma. The biosynthesis of this protein is interfered with by the vitamin K antagonist Dicoumarol. The molecular weight of the protein is approximately 56,000 and, like factor X, it has two polypeptide chains. The light chain binds Ca2+. Its NH2-terminal amino acid sequence is homologous to the NH2-terminal sequences of the other vitamin K-dependent proteins and it contains vitamin K-dependent gamma-carboxyglutamic acid residues. The biological function of this protein is unknown.