The catabolic pathway for branched-chain amino acids includes deamination followed by oxidative decarboxylation of the deaminated product branched-chain ␣-keto acids, catalyzed by the mitochondrial branched-chain aminotransferase (BCATm) and branched-chain ␣-keto acid dehydrogenase enzyme complex (BCKDC). We found that BCATm binds to the E1 decarboxylase of BCKDC, forming a metabolon that allows channeling of branched-chain ␣-keto acids from BCATm to E1. The protein complex also contains glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH1), 4-nitrophenylphosphatase domain and non-neuronal SNAP25-like protein homolog 1, pyruvate carboxylase, and BCKDC kinase. GDH1 binds to the pyridoxamine 5-phosphate (PMP) form of BCATm (PMP-BCATm) but not to the pyridoxal 5-phosphateBCATm and other metabolon proteins. Leucine activates GDH1, and oxidative deamination of glutamate is increased further by addition of PMP-BCATm. Isoleucine and valine are not allosteric activators of GDH1, but in the presence of 5-phosphate-BCATm, they convert BCATm to PMP-BCATm, stimulating GDH1 activity. Sensitivity to ADP activation of GDH1 was unaffected by PMP-BCATm; however, addition of a 3 or higher molar ratio of PMP-BCATm to GDH1 protected GDH1 from GTP inhibition by 50%. Kinetic results suggest that GDH1 facilitates regeneration of the form of BCATm that binds to E1 decarboxylase of the BCKDC, promotes metabolon formation, branched-chain amino acid oxidation, and cycling of nitrogen through glutamate.It has been proposed that the enzymes that are responsible for catalyzing sequential reactions in several metabolic pathways are highly organized in supramolecular complexes termed metabolons (1). The concept of metabolic enzymes associating to form a supramolecular complex was hypothesized 50 years ago (2). Recently, Benkovic and co-workers (3) have shown the in vivo assembly of six proteins in the purine catabolic pathway to form a "purinosome." The formation of the purinosome appears to be dynamically regulated by stimulation of de novo purine biosynthesis in response to changes in purine levels. Another group (4) also has shown that glycolytic enzymes ("glycosome") are organized into complexes, and this assembly is regulated by the oxidation and phosphorylation states of the proteins. The advantages of such a supramolecular assembly include efficient channeling of substrates between enzymes in a pathway, regulating pathway flux by association and dissociation, and by targeting the assembly of the interacting proteins to the appropriate intracellular structures. Previously, using liver mitochondrial extracts and purified BCATm, 2 we showed that the first two enzymes in BCAA catabolism, mitochondrial branched-chain aminotransferase (BCATm) and branchedchain ␣-keto acid decarboxylase (E1) of the BCKDC, associate in vitro (5). It is not yet known if this BCAA metabolon forms in tissues expressing BCATm, and if other associated proteins are functionally involved in the metabolon.BCATs (mitochondrial and cytosolic isozymes) catalyze reversible transamination of BCAA...