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Updated: Aug 29, 2026

Functional Complementation Analysis (FCA): A Laboratory Exercise Designed and Implemented to Supplement the Teaching of Biochemical Pathways
Published on: June 24, 2016
Structural biology of enzymes of the thiamin biosynthesis pathway
Ethan Settembre1, Tadhg P Begley, Steven E Ealick
1Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA.
Abstract:
Thiamin pyrophosphate is an essential cofactor of carbohydrate and branched-chain amino acid metabolism. Although its mechanistic role is well studied, the biosynthesis of thiamin has only recently been understood. Thiamin biosynthesis in Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis show some similarities, but diverge at key steps of thiazole formation. The biosynthesis of thiamin in eukaryotes is at a very early stage of understanding. Structural and mechanistic studies on thiamin biosynthetic enzymes have played a key role in increasing our understanding of thiamin pyrophosphate biosynthesis and have revealed unexpected evolutionary ties.
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