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. 1991 Dec 1;88(23):10583–10585. doi: 10.1073/pnas.88.23.10583

Mechanism of cyanide inhibition of the blood-clotting, vitamin K-dependent carboxylase.

P Dowd 1, S W Ham 1
PMCID: PMC52973  PMID: 1961725

Abstract

Cyanide is a competitive inhibitor of carbon dioxide in the vitamin K-dependent glutamate carboxylase system, which plays a central role in the function of the blood clotting cascade. The mechanism of cyanide inhibition has been obscure for some time. At pH 7.2, cyanide (pKa = 9.21) will exist in solution as hydrogen cyanide to the extent of 99%. Hydrogen cyanide is linear triatomic molecule able to serve as a surrogate for carbon dioxide at the enzyme active site. Hydrogen cyanide is an acid; it will quench the deprotonated glutamate carbanion precursor to gamma-carboxyglutamate, resulting in inhibition of the carboxylation sequence.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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