This family contains 1-deoxyxylulose-5-phosphate synthase (DXP synthase), an enzyme which catalyses the thiamine pyrophosphoate-dependent acyloin condensation reaction between carbon atoms 2 and 3 of pyruvate and glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate, to yield 1-deoxy-D- xylulose-5-phosphate, a precursor in the biosynthetic pathway to isoprenoids, thiamine (vitamin B1), and pyridoxol (vitamin B6).

1: Identification of a thiamin-dependent synthase in Escherichia coli required for the formation of the 1-deoxy-D-xylulose 5-phosphate precursor to isoprenoids, thiamin, and pyridoxol. Sprenger GA, Schorken U, Wiegert T, Grolle S, de Graaf AA, Taylor SV, Begley TP, Bringer-Meyer S, Sahm H; Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1997;94:12857-12862. PMID:9371765