Function

 

Without Vitamin K, the following proteins would not be able to synthesize and become biologically active:

So how are all of these Vitamin K-dependent proteins synthesized? Vitamin K catalyzes the carboxylation of the Glutamic acid residues within the protein. In doing this, a gamma-carboxyglutamic acid is formed and the protein becomes biologically active. Once a protein has a gamma-carboxyglutamic acid, it can bind to the membranes of platelets and endothelial cells. This often results in blood-clotting. So... in synthesizing proteins, Vitamin K is integrally involved in the clotting mechanism of blood. A deficiency could result in excessive bleeding.

 

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