Vitamin K epoxide and quinone reductase activities. Evidence for reduction by a common enzyme.

Vitamin K hydroquinone formation in rat liver can be catalyzed by a thiol-dependent quinone reductase activity which shares several characteristics with the vitamin K 2,3-epoxide reductase activity. The possibility that a single enzyme catalyzes both reductions was investigated. Values of Vmax/Km for several different vitamin K analogs were determined and found to be similar for both reductase activities. Several different coumarins were also shown to achieve 50% inhibition at similar concentrations for both enzyme activities. The chloro analog of menaquinone-2 was shown to inhibit both reductases, and the presence of either the quinone or epoxide form of the vitamin protected both activities from inactivation. Thioredoxin was shown to function as a reductant for both reductase activities, although the maximum enzyme activity achieved by this reductant was only half that achieved with dithiothreitol as a reductant. Cofractionation of the two reductase activities on a variety of column matrices was also observed. These data strongly support the hypothesis that one microsomal enzyme is capable of catalyzing both reduction of vitamin K 2,3-epoxide to the quinone, and the quinone to vitamin K hydroquinone.