VKORC1L1 Background Information Vitamin K is a cofactor that is essential for the posttranslational gamma-carboxylation of many blood coagulation factors. Vitamin K epoxide reductase (VKOR) is a small transmembrane protein complex located in the endoplasmic reticulum that catalyzes both the reduction of vitamin K epoxide to vitamin K, as well as the conversion of vitamin K to vitamin K hydroquinone. VKOR complex 1 (VKORC1) is a subunit of VKOR that increases the production of reduced vitamin K cofactor. VKORC1 is the rate limiting step in the system and therefore plays a significant role as a regulatory protein. VKORC1L1 (vitamin K epoxide reductase complex subunit 1-like 1) is a paralog to VKORC1. There is 50% identity between VKORC1L1 and VKORC1. VKORC1L1 is more highly conserved between species (human, mouse and rat share 97% identity) but is not as widely expressed as VKORC1.
