Factor VIIa (fVIIa) is composed of four discrete domains, a y-carboxyglutamic acid (G1a)-containing domain, two epidermal growth factor (EGF)-like domains, and a serine protease domain, all of which appear to be involved, to different extents, in an optimal interaction with tissue factor (TF). All except the second EGF-like domain contain at least one Ca2+ binding site and many properties of fVIIa, e.g., TF and phospholipid binding and amidolytic activity, are Ca2+-dependent. A CD study was performed to characterize and locate the conformational changes in fVIIa induced by Ca'+ and TF binding. In addition to intact fVIIa, derivatives lacking the Gla domain or the protease domain were used. Assignment of the Ca2+-induced changes in the far-UV region of the fVIIa spectrum to the Gla domain could be made by comparing the CD spectra obtained with these fVIla derivatives. The changes primarily appeared to reflect a Ca*+-induced ordering of a-helices existing in the apo state of fVIIa. This was corroborated by models of the apo and Ca2+ forms of fVIIa constructed on the basis of known structures of homologous proteins. Far-UV spectra of the Gla domain of fVIIa, obtained as difference spectra between fVIIa derivatives, were very similar to those of isolated Gla peptides from other vitamin K-dependent plasma proteins. The near-UV CD spectrum of fVIIa was dominated by aromatic residues residing in the protease domain and specific bands affected by Ca2+ were indicative of tertiary structural alterations. The formation of a NIIa:TF complex led to secondary structural changes that appeared to be restricted to the catalytic domain, possibly shedding light on the mechanism by which T F induces an enhancement of fVIIa catalytic activity.