Access

News and Views

Nature Chemical Biology 2, 294–295 (1 June 2006) | doi:10.1038/nchembio0606-294

Snapshots of three intermediates at the active site of pyruvate oxidase

Perry A Frey

In all living cells, thiamine is essential in energy metabolism. Thiamine diphosphate (ThDP) is an essential cofactor for the metabolism of pyruvate, the end product of the glycolytic pathway; for the metabolism of α-ketoglutarate, a central intermediate in the tricarboxylic acid pathway; and for the conversion of fructose-6-phosphate and xylulose-5-phosphate, intermediates in carbohydrate metabolism.