title: Role of vitamin K-dependent proteins in the arterial vessel wall.
abstract: Vitamin K was discovered early last century at the same time as the vitamin K-antagonists. For many years the role of vitamin K was solely ascribed to coagulation and coagulation was thought to be involved only at the venous blood side. This view has dramatically changed with the discovery of vitamin K-dependent proteins outside the coagulation cascade and the role of coagulation factors at the arterial side. Vitamin K-dependent proteins are involved in the regulation of vascular smooth muscle cell migration, apoptosis, and calcification. Vascular calcification has become an important independent predictor of cardiovascular disease. Vitamin K-antagonists induce inactivity of inhibitors of vascular calcification, leading to accelerated calcification. The involvement of vitamin K-dependent proteins such as MGP in vascular calcification make that calcification is amendable for intervention with high intake of vitamin K. This review focuses on the effect of vitamin K-dependent proteins in vascular disease.
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Biochemistry, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: M L L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Chatrou
authors.forename: C P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Reutelingsperger
authors.forename: L J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Schurgers
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000925:Anticoagulants / Q000378:metabolism*; D001157:Arterial Occlusive Diseases / Q000378:metabolism*; D001158:Arteries / Q000378:metabolism*; D001779:Blood Coagulation Factors / Q000378:metabolism*; D001798:Blood Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D002114:Calcinosis / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008955:Models, Cardiovascular; D014812:Vitamin K / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000925:Anticoagulants; D001779:Blood Coagulation Factors; D001798:Blood Proteins; D014812:Vitamin K