Table 15.3: The B vitamins

Vitamin

Coenzyme

Typical reaction type

Consequences of deficiency

Thiamine (B1)

Thiamine pyrophosphate

Aldehyde transfer

Beriberi (weight loss, heart problems, neurological dysfunction)

Riboflavin (B2)

Flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD)

Oxidation–reduction

Cheliosis and angular stomatitis (lesions of the mouth), dermatitis

Pyridoxine (B6)

Pyridoxal phosphate

Group transfer to or from amino acids

Depression, confusion, convulsions

Nicotinic acid (niacin) (B3)

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+)

Oxidation–reduction

Pellagra (dermatitis, depression, diarrhea)

Pantothenic acid (B5)

Coenzyme A

Acyl-group transfer

Hypertension

Biotin (B7)

Biotin–lysine adducts (biocytin)

ATP-dependent carboxylation and carboxyl-group transfer

Rash about the eyebrows, muscle pain, fatigue (rare)

Folic acid (B9)

Tetrahydrofolate

Transfer of one-carbon components; thymine synthesis

Anemia, neural-tube defects in development

B12

5′-Deoxyadenosyl cobalamin

Transfer of methyl groups; intramolecular rearrangements

Anemia, pernicious anemia, methylmalonic acidosis