Cytosolic branched-chain-amino-acid aminotransferase (BCAT1) catalyzes the reversible reactions of leucine, isoleucine, or valine with alpha-ketoglutarate (2-oxoglutarate) to form alpha-ketoisocaproate, alpha-keto-beta-methylvalerate, or a-ketoisovalerate, respectively, and glutamate. The active enzyme is a homodimer. Hutson and colleagues have argues that cytosolic BCAT1 plays a major role in the generation of glutamate involved in synaptic transmission in neural tissue (Goto et al. 2005).
