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Letter

Nature Genetics 40, 437–442 (1 April 2008) | doi:10.1038/ng.106

SLC2A9 is a newly identified urate transporter influencing serum urate concentration, urate excretion and gout

Veronique Vitart , Igor Rudan , Caroline Hayward , Nicola K Gray , James Floyd , Colin NA Palmer , Sara A Knott , Ivana Kolcic , Ozren Polasek , Juergen Graessler , James F Wilson , Anthony Marinaki , Philip L Riches , Xinhua Shu , Branka Janicijevic , Nina Smolej-Narancic , Barbara Gorgoni , Joanne Morgan , Susan Campbell , Zrinka Biloglav , Lovorka Barac-Lauc , Marijana Pericic , Irena Martinovic Klaric , Lina Zgaga , Tatjana Skaric-Juric , Sarah H Wild , William A Richardson , Peter Hohenstein , Charley H Kimber , Albert Tenesa , Louise A Donnelly , Lynette D Fairbanks , Martin Aringer , Paul M McKeigue , Stuart H Ralston , Andrew D Morris , Pavao Rudan , Nicholas D Hastie , Harry Campbell & Alan F Wright

Uric acid is the end product of purine metabolism in humans and great apes, which have lost hepatic uricase activity, leading to uniquely high serum uric acid concentrations (200–500 |[mu]|M) compared with other mammals (3–120 |[mu]|M). About 70% of daily urate disposal occurs via the kidneys, and in 5–25% of the human population, impaired renal excretion leads to hyperuricemia.