Structural studies of vitamin K epoxide reductase, an integral membrane enzyme

The enzyme vitamin K epoxide reductase (VKOR), a 163 residue integral membrane protein, plays a pivotal role in the recycling of vitamin K, essential for the integrity of the blood coagulation system. VKOR is the target for vitamin K antagonists such as Marcumar®, and therefore is of central importance in antithrombotic therapy. We aim to overexpress VKOR and its analogues as inclusion bodies in E. coli, and to establish refolding conditions for these enzymes as monitored by enzymatic activity, with a view to structural studies using X-ray crystallography and NMR.