Pyruvate Dehydrogenase complex catalyzes the main reaction in the mitochondria from pyruvate to Acetyl-CoA. The three main components are Pyruvate Dehydrogenase (E1), Dihydrolipoyl Transacetylase, and Dihydrolipoyl Dehydrogenase (E3). The enzyme this paper is concerned with is Dihydrolipoyl Transacetylase. This enzyme otherwise known as E2 catalyzes the reaction of Acetyldihydrolipimide to lipoamide then tranfering the acetyl group to CoA to make Acetyl-CoA (shown in Fig 1) 1.

This is important because Acetyl-CoA is a substrate to the rest of the metabolic pathway going into the Kreb's cycle. This plays a role in energy metabolism and feeding your body with energy. If this complex is not functional then the body starves from energy starvation or find another metabolic path to compensate.