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A GWAS for Gout

Oct 01, 2008

Researchers led by Caroline Fox report in The Lancet that they've found three genes associated with gout. In genome-wide association studies of 7,699 Framingham study participants and 4,148 Rotterdam cohort study participants, the researchers looked for genes associated with serum uric acid. The SNPs identified from that study were then confirmed in both black and white Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities participants. Having all three gene variants -- SCLA29, ABCG2, and SLC17A3, which are thought to be involved in urate transport -- can increase the risk for gout by 40-fold, says a Health Day story. Fox tells them that these genes "can potentially be used as novel drug targets."

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