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Nature Chemical Biology 3, 454–455 (1 August 2007) | doi:10.1038/nchembio0807-454

At the crossroad of thiamine degradation and biosynthesis

Lucien Bettendorff

Like the pieces of a large jigsaw puzzle, new compounds such as alkaloids, venom constituents, signaling molecules and metabolic intermediates are added every day to the large catalog of natural compounds. Some metabolic intermediates are particularly important because they ensure the coupling between catabolic and anabolic pathways.