The protein encoded by this gene belongs to the biotin and lipoic acid synthetases family. Localized in the mitochondrion, this iron-sulfur enzyme catalyzes the final step in the de novo pathway for the biosynthesis of lipoic acid, a potent antioxidant. The deficient expression of this enzyme has been linked to conditions such as diabetes, atherosclerosis and neonatal-onset epilepsy. Alternative splicing occurs at this locus, and several transcript variants encoding distinct isoforms have been identified. [provided by RefSeq, Aug 2020]