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Biosynthesis

Unmasking morphine

The final steps in the biosynthetic pathway to the morphine alkaloids have been revealed with the characterization of two key enzymes. In addition to the widely exploited parent compound, these new O-demethylases control metabolic flux to pharmaceutically useful opioid precursors.

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Figure 1: The late stages of the morphine biosynthetic pathway in the opium poppy plant.

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Correspondence to Steven D Bruner.

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The authors declare no competing financial interests.

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Dimise, E., Bruner, S. Unmasking morphine. Nat Chem Biol 6, 251–252 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/nchembio.334

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