Summary
The specificity of the propeptide sequence in directing vitamin Independent post-translational
γ-carboxylation has been assessed by examination of the extent of processing of chimeric
constructs of blood coagulation factor VII (fVII), factor IX (fIX) and protein C (PC).
One chimera consisted of a protein in which the γ-carboxyglutamic acid (Gla)/helical
stack domain of PC (amino acid residues 1 to 46) was replaced by that of fIX (residues
1 to 47) in an otherwise intact PC. Another consisted of the same construction of
a fVII/PC Gla domain-based mutant protein. The final chimera contained the leader/propeptide
sequence of PC (residues -42 to -1) replaced by that of fIX (residues -46 to -1).
In each case, all Glu-precursor Gla residues in the Gla domains of the proteins were
fully processed to Gla. These results demonstrate that the propeptides of fIX and
PC are capable of directing γ-carboxylation of the Gla regions of either protein,
that the propeptide of PC can fully function in γ-carboxylation of the Gla region
of fVII, and further suggest that, with regard to γ-carboxylation, communications
between the propeptides and Gla domains in intact proteins are general in nature.