Kimie Nakagawa investigated Vitamin K metabolism, including how cells make menaquinone-4. A 2010 study identified UBIAD1 as a human biosynthetic enzyme using complementary perturbation and expression experiments.[ref]
Identification of UBIAD1 as a novel human menaquinone-4 biosynthetic enzyme by Kimie Nakagawa and others. Nature468, pp.117–121; Abstract and primary byline
Reducing UBIAD1 expression with siRNA decreased formation of isotope-labelled menaquinone-4 in human cells. Expression in insect cells provided a second test, and deuterium nuclear magnetic resonance checked the product's identity. Combining altered production with chemical identification is stronger evidence for a biosynthetic role than similarity of protein sequences alone.[ref]
Identification of UBIAD1 as a novel human menaquinone-4 biosynthetic enzyme by Kimie Nakagawa and others. Abstract and Figures2–3; knockdown, expression and labelled-product analysis
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