A flavoprotein (FAD). A component of the multienzyme 2-oxo-acid dehydrogenase complexes. In the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex, it binds to the core of EC
2.3.1.12, dihydrolipoyllysine-residue acetyltransferase, and catalyses oxidation of its dihydrolipoyl groups. It plays a similar role in the oxoglutarate and 3-methyl-2-oxobutanoate dehydrogenase complexes. Another substrate is the dihydrolipoyl group in the H-protein of the glycine-cleavage system ({AminoAcid/GlyCleave} for diagram), in which it acts, together with EC
1.4.4.2, glycine dehydrogenase (decarboxylating), and EC
2.1.2.10, aminomethyltransferase, to break down glycine. It can also use free dihydrolipoate, dihydrolipoamide or dihydrolipoyllysine as substrate. This enzyme was first shown to catalyse the oxidation of NADH by methylene blue; this activity was called diaphorase. The glycine cleavage system is composed of four components that only loosely associate: the P protein (EC
1.4.4.2), the T protein (EC
2.1.2.10), the L protein (EC
1.8.1.4) and the lipoyl-bearing H protein [6].
