Pyruvate dehydrogenase E1
Cofactors used
Clinical / pharmacological. PDC deficiency (X-linked): lactic acidosis, neurological disease; thiamine-responsive forms
What it does, reaction by reaction
Pyruvate Oxidation / Link Reaction (Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Complex) Carbohydrate Metabolism · Mitochondrial matrix
Pyruvate + thiamine pyrophosphate (TPP) → hydroxyethyl-TPP + CO2
Converts Pyruvate Thiamine pyrophosphate (TPP) into Hydroxyethyl-TPP CO2
› Notes
The E1 component, pyruvate dehydrogenase (pyruvate decarboxylase), requires tightly bound TPP and Mg2+. It decarboxylates pyruvate and retains the two-carbon hydroxyethyl group on TPP; this is the decarboxylation portion of the overall irreversible reaction.
Hydroxyethyl-TPP + oxidized lipoamide (E2) → acetyl-lipoamide + TPP
Converts Hydroxyethyl-TPP Oxidized lipoamide into Acetyl-lipoamide Thiamine pyrophosphate (TPP)
› Notes
E1 transfers and oxidizes the hydroxyethyl group to the lipoyllysine swinging arm of E2, dihydrolipoyl transacetylase. Lipoic acid/lipoamide serves as the redox-active prosthetic group.
Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Complex (Link Reaction, connecting glycolysis to the TCA cycle) Energy Metabolism & Cellular Respiration · Mitochondrial matrix
Pyruvate + TPP → hydroxyethyl-TPP + CO2
Converts Pyruvate Thiamine pyrophosphate (TPP) into Hydroxyethyl-TPP CO2
› Notes
Required coenzyme: thiamine pyrophosphate (TPP), derived from vitamin B1, and Mg2+ for TPP binding. This is the first irreversible chemical event in the overall reaction; release of CO2 helps make PDC flux effectively irreversible in vivo.
Showing all 3 reactions.
What accelerates and inhibits it
Regulation is pathway-specific, so each context is listed separately
Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Complex (Link Reaction, connecting glycolysis to the TCA cycle)
Listed there as: Pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (active when dephosphorylated)
ADP, pyruvate, CoA-SH, NAD+, Ca2+ in contracting muscle; PDH phosphatase
ATP, NADH, acetyl-CoA; PDH kinase phosphorylation
Insulin activates PDH phosphatase in adipose tissue and promotes PDH activity for lipogenesis; epinephrine-associated Ca2+ signaling and muscle contraction promote phosphatase activity
Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Complex (Link Reaction, connecting glycolysis to the TCA cycle)
Listed there as: Pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase (PDK)
ATP, NADH, acetyl-CoA; prolonged fasting and high fatty-acid oxidation increase PDK expression/activity
ADP, pyruvate, CoA-SH; dichloroacetate
Insulin tends to suppress PDK expression; glucagon/fasting favor PDK-mediated PDH inhibition in liver
Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Complex (Link Reaction, connecting glycolysis to the TCA cycle)
Listed there as: Pyruvate dehydrogenase phosphatase (PDP)
Ca2+; Mg2+; insulin in insulin-responsive tissues
Indirectly opposed by conditions favoring PDK
Insulin stimulates PDP, particularly in adipose tissue; Ca2+ activates PDP in skeletal and cardiac muscle
Pyruvate Oxidation / Link Reaction (Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Complex)
Listed there as: Pyruvate dehydrogenase E1 (active when dephosphorylated)
ADP, pyruvate, CoA-SH, NAD+; Ca2+ in contracting muscle promotes dephosphorylation
ATP, NADH, acetyl-CoA; phosphorylation by pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase
Insulin activates pyruvate dehydrogenase phosphatase in adipose tissue and liver; epinephrine/Ca2+ stimulate phosphatase in muscle
Pyruvate Oxidation / Link Reaction (Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Complex)
Listed there as: Pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase
ATP, NADH, acetyl-CoA
ADP, pyruvate, CoA-SH, dichloroacetate
Induced by fasting/high-fat states; insulin opposes the fasting program
Pyruvate Oxidation / Link Reaction (Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Complex)
Listed there as: Pyruvate dehydrogenase phosphatase
Ca2+, Mg2+; insulin in adipose and liver
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Insulin promotes dephosphorylation/activation of PDC; Ca2+ couples muscle contraction to PDC activation
Recent literature
Europe PMC · fetched just now · sorted by publication date
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1
Suppression of LncRNA AC008406.3 sensitizes breast cancer cells to docetaxel via triggering cuproptosis.
Liu C, Liu S, Lu Z, Cao X, Tong X, Sun I, Hao J, Zhang L. · 2026-05-26
open access unreviewed -
2
Metabolic memory in the kidney: how lactate and lactylation drive the path from acute injury to chronic disease.
Zhang X, Dai Q, Feng H. · 2026-05-20
open access unreviewed -
3
A review of the sirtuins family: pivotal regulators and emerging therapeutic targets in renal fibrosis.
Deng Q, Li C, Luo J, Yin M, Qian S, Li L. · 2026-05-14
open access unreviewed -
4
LncRNA UNC5C-AS1 inhibits angiogenesis and induces endothelial apoptosis via the miR-148a-3p/EMP1 axis in preeclampsia.
Wang Y, Gao Y, Liu L, Ma K, He Y, Qi H, Zhang X. · 2026-02-06
open access unreviewed -
5
Effects of HFPO-DA (GenX) exposure on placental glycolysis and metabolic microenvironment in pregnant rats.
Pang Y, Wang Z, Liu Y, Feng C, Song Y, Cao S, Wang D, Zhang L, Lu P, Yu L. · 2026-06-23
unreviewed -
6
The role of cuproptosis in osteoporosis: Molecular mechanisms and cell-specific regulation in bone metabolic imbalance.
He J, Li F, Yuan H, Liu J, Peng Y, Wu H, Luo Y, Li F, Xu W, Song C, Hao P, Liu Z. · 2026-05-21
unreviewed -
7
Next generation AAV-F capsid gene therapy rescues disease pathology in a model of pyruvate dehydrogenase complex deficiency.
Keegan A, Çetin Ö, Chilcott EM, Diaz JA, Eaton S, Waddington SN, Counsell JR, Rahman S, Karda R. · 2026-06-15
unreviewed -
8
From inactivation to intervention: X chromosome silencing in disease pathogenesis and emerging therapeutic strategies.
Fu Y, Tan X, Qin L, Wang C. · 2025-12-05
open access unreviewed -
9
Ultra-early post-mortem interval (PMI) estimation based on longitudinal plasma protein dynamics in humans: A pilot study.
Sacco MA, Malara N, Presta I, Turturiello R, Garofalo E, Bruni A, Aquila I. · 2026-05-18
unreviewed -
10
Targeting melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R) family in goldfish (Carassius auratus) for enhanced growth and optimized lipid distribution.
Mo H, Lv B, Liu Y, Yu H, Du Y, Wang X, Gao J, Yao M, Zhang Q, Yu J, Li Y, Wang L. · 2026-05-07
unreviewed
External claims. These come from an index outside this database and are not checked against it. Treat them as leads.