Membrane penetration of bovine factor V and Va detected by labeling with 5-iodonaphthalene-1-azide.

The membrane-binding properties of Factor V and Factor Va were investigated using the lipophyllic, photoactivable probe 5-[125I]iodonaphthalene-1-azide. In the presence of vesicles composed of 75% phosphatidylcholine and 25% phosphatidylserine, both Factor V and Va were found to be labeled by the probe. The label was almost exclusively localized to the carboxyl-terminal-derived component E of Factor Va. The results are consistent with the interpretation that component E is the membrane binding subunit of Factor Va and that the interaction between Factor V or Factor Va and the membrane involves the penetration of the protein into the lipid bilayer.