该基因编码2-氧戊二酸脱氢酶复合物的一个亚单位。该配合物在Krebs循环中催化2-氧戊二酸（α-酮戊二酸）整体转化为琥珀酰辅酶a和CO（2）该蛋白位于线粒体基质中，并使用焦磷酸硫胺作为辅助因子。2-氧谷氨酸脱氢酶活性的先天性缺陷被认为会导致张力降低、代谢性酸中毒和高乳酸血症选择性剪接导致编码不同亚型的多个转录变体。[由RefSeq提供，2009年9月]
This gene encodes one subunit of the 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase complex. This complex catalyzes the overall conversion of 2-oxoglutarate (alpha-ketoglutarate) to succinyl-CoA and CO(2) during the Krebs cycle. The protein is located in the mitochondrial matrix and uses thiamine pyrophosphate as a cofactor. A congenital deficiency in 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase activity is believed to lead to hypotonia, metabolic acidosis, and hyperlactatemia. Alternative splicing results in multiple transcript variants encoding distinct isoforms.[provided by RefSeq, Sep 2009]