Uox KO Mouse

Uricase, which is encoded by the urate oxidase (UOX) gene, has an important role in the purine metabolic pathway, and most mammals contain UOX, which breaks down uric acid, a metabolite of purine nucleotides, into allantoin, which is more soluble than uric acid. Unlike other mammals, humans lack UOX, and purine catabolism can only produce uric acid, which is subsequently excreted by the kidneys, resulting in higher serum uric acid concentrations in humans than in other mammals. When the rate of uric acid production exceeds the excretory capacity of the kidneys, the serum uric acid level increases significantly, resulting in hyperuricemia.UOX can dramatically reduce plasma uric acid levels and treat gout and kidney disease secondary to hyperuricemia, among others ^[1].

This strain is a uricase-deficient mouse line generated by knocking out the mouse Uox gene. Due to impaired uricase synthesis, these mice spontaneously exhibit a hyperuricemic phenotype. Heterozygous Uox KO mice are viable and fertile. Homozygous Uox KO mice require allopurinol or similar drugs for postnatal survival ^[2].