The novel role of ALDH16A1 in gout

A rare single nucleotide variant in human ALDH16A1 gene has recently been shown to be associated with gout (P = 1.5 x 10-16). ALDH16A1 is a novel and rather unique member of the ALDH superfamily in terms of its structure and lack of metabolic activity. This project investigates the mechanisms by which ALDH16A1 can modulate cellular uric acid levels. These studies utilize human recombinant proteins, transfected cell lines, Aldh16a1 knockout mice and both targeted and nontargeted metabolomics approaches.