Requires thiamine diphosphate. It belongs to the 2-oxoacid dehydrogenase system family, which also includes EC 1.2.1.104, pyruvate dehydrogenase system, EC 1.2.1.105, 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase system, EC 1.2.1.25, branched-chain alpha-keto acid dehydrogenase system, and EC 1.4.1.27, glycine cleavage system. With the exception of the glycine cleavage system, which contains 4 components, the 2-oxoacid dehydrogenase systems share a common structure, consisting of three main components, namely a 2-oxoacid dehydrogenase (E1), a dihydrolipoamide acyltransferase (E2), and dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase (E3).