title: Transketolase: observations in alcohol-related brain damage research.
abstract: Thiamin, or vitamin B1, is crucial for brain function. In its active form, thiamin pyrophosphate (TPP), it is a co-enzyme for several enzymes, including transketolase. Transketolase is an important enzyme in the non-oxidative branch of the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP), a pathway responsible for generating reducing equivalents, which is essential for energy transduction and for generating ribose for nucleic acid synthesis. Transketolase also links the PPP to glycolysis, allowing a cell to adapt to a variety of energy needs, depending on its environment. Abnormal transketolase expression and/or activity have been implicated in a number of diseases where thiamin availability is low, including Wernicke-Korsakoff's Syndrome and alcoholism. Yet, the precise mechanism by which this enzyme is involved in the pathophysiology of these disorders remains controversial.
authors.affiliation: Neuropathology Unit, Department of Pathology, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia. kimba@med.usyd.edu.au
authors.forename: Kimberley
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Alexander-Kaufman
authors.forename: Clive
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Harper
mesh_terms: D000437:Alcoholism / Q000201:enzymology*; D001925:Brain Damage, Chronic / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000201:enzymology*; D006801:Humans; D020915:Korsakoff Syndrome / Q000201:enzymology; D013832:Thiamine Deficiency / Q000201:enzymology; D013835:Thiamine Pyrophosphate / Q000172:deficiency; D014174:Transketolase / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D014174:Transketolase; D013835:Thiamine Pyrophosphate