Involved in an anaerobic respiration pathway that converts the sulfonate taurine (2-aminoethanesulfonate) to ammonia, acetate and sulfide. Catalyzes the initial metabolic reaction of anaerobic taurine degradation, i.e. the transamination reaction between taurine and pyruvate leading to sulfoacetaldehyde and alanine. pyruvate + taurine = L-alanine + sulfoacetaldehyde Organosulfur degradation; alkanesulfonate degradation. Homotetramer. Highly up-regulated in the presence of taurine. Taurine is an abundant dietary and host-derived molecule whose metabolism to hydrogen sulfide (H2S) by members of the human gut microbiota has many prominent connections to host health and disease. The human gut bacterium and opportunistic pathogen Bilophila wadsworthia produces H2S when respiring sulfite (HSO3-) released from organosulfonate substrates such as taurine and isethionate. Belongs to the class-III pyridoxal-phosphate-dependent aminotransferase family.