Elevated serum uric acid levels are the essential pathophysiology of gout. Although gout rarely develops in childhood, chronic persistent hyperuricemia can induce precipitation and deposition of sodium urate crystals, leading to the development of gout. Hyperuricemia is caused by increased uric acid production and/or decreased uric acid excretion capacity of the kidneys and/or intestinal tract. Increased production of uric acid, the final metabolite of purine, is associated with an increase of phosphoribosyl pyrophosphate, the key compound in the purine synthesis pathways, as observed in hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase deficiency. Another mechanism for increased uric acid production is increased adenosine triphosphate consumption that is found in glycogen storage disease type I. On the other hand, in uromodulin-associated kidney disease, the accumulation of abnormal uromodulin in the kidneys leads to tubulointerstitial damage and fibrosis, and the ability to excrete uric acid is compromised, with reduced secretion and increased reabsorption in the proximal tubules. Decreased uric acid excretion from the kidneys or intestinal tract is also mediated by decreased function of the ATP-binding cassette subfamily G member 2, a urate transporter that acts in the urate secretion. This review summarizes the selected pathophysiological mechanisms underlying the genetic basis of hyperuricemia and gout in children, both in terms of purine metabolism and uric acid excretion.

Renal calculus is a common disease with complex etiology and high recurrence rate. Recent studies have revealed that gene mutations may lead to metabolic defects which are associated with the formation of renal calculus, and single gene mutation is involved in relative high proportion of renal calculus. Gene mutations cause changes in enzyme function, metabolic pathway, ion transport, and receptor sensitivity, causing defects in oxalic acid metabolism, cystine metabolism, calcium ion metabolism, or purine metabolism, which may lead to the formation of renal calculus. The hereditary conditions associated with renal calculus include primary hyperoxaluria, cystinuria, Dent disease, familial hypomagnesemia with hypercalciuria and nephrocalcinosis, Bartter syndrome, primary distal renal tubular acidosis, infant hypercalcemia, hereditary hypophosphatemic rickets with hypercalciuria, adenine phosphoribosyltransferase deficiency, hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase deficiency, and hereditary xanthinuria. This article reviews the research progress on renal calculus associated with inborn error of metabolism, to provide reference for early screening, diagnosis, treatment, prevention and recurrence of renal calculus. 肾结石是一种病因复杂且易复发的常见疾病。人类基因组关联性研究发现多种基因突变导致的代谢缺陷与结石形成有关，其中单基因病例占比较高。基因突变引起酶功能、代谢通路、离子转运、受体敏感性等改变，导致草酸代谢、胱氨酸代谢、钙离子代谢、嘌呤代谢等缺陷，易产生遗传性肾结石。如原发性高草酸尿症、胱氨酸尿症、登特病、家族性低镁血症合并高钙尿和肾钙盐沉着症、巴特综合征、原发性远端肾小管酸中毒、婴儿高钙血症、遗传性低磷性佝偻病伴高钙尿症、腺嘌呤磷酸核糖基转移酶缺乏症、次黄嘌呤-鸟嘌呤磷酸核糖基转移酶缺乏症、遗传性黄嘌呤尿症等都与遗传性肾结石相关。本文就遗传性代谢缺陷所致肾结石的研究进展进行回顾，增加对草酸代谢、胱氨酸代谢、钙离子代谢、嘌呤代谢等缺陷致肾结石的认知，以便早期筛查、诊治及预防复发。. Renal calculus is a common disease with complex etiology and high recurrence rate. Recent studies have revealed that gene mutations may lead to metabolic defects which are associated with the formation of renal calculus, and single gene mutation is involved in relative high proportion of renal calculus. Gene mutations cause changes in enzyme function, metabolic pathway, ion transport, and receptor sensitivity, causing defects in oxalic acid metabolism, cystine metabolism, calcium ion metabolism, or purine metabolism, which may lead to the formation of renal calculus. The hereditary conditions associated with renal calculus include primary hyperoxaluria, cystinuria, Dent disease, familial hypomagnesemia with hypercalciuria and nephrocalcinosis, Bartter syndrome, primary distal renal tubular acidosis, infant hypercalcemia, hereditary hypophosphatemic rickets with hypercalciuria, adenine phosphoribosyltransferase deficiency, hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase deficiency, and hereditary xanthinuria. This article reviews the research progress on renal calculus associated with inborn error of metabolism, to provide reference for early screening, diagnosis, treatment, prevention and recurrence of renal calculus. HPRT1 disorders, caused by deficiency of the enzyme hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HGprt), are typically associated with clinical evidence for overproduction of uric acid (hyperuricemia, nephrolithiasis, and/or gouty arthritis) and varying degrees of neurologic and/or behavioral problems. Historically, three phenotypes were identified in the spectrum of HPRT1 disorders: Lesch-Nyhan disease (LND) at the most severe end with motor dysfunction resembling severe cerebral palsy, intellectual disability, and self-injurious behavior; HPRT1-related neurologic dysfunction (HND) in the intermediate range with similar but fewer severe neurologic findings than LND and no self-injurious behavior; and HPRT1-related hyperuricemia (HRH) at the mild end without overt neurologic deficits. It is now recognized that these neurobehavioral phenotypes cluster along a continuum from severe to mild. The diagnosis of an HPRT1 disorder is established in a male proband with suggestive clinical and laboratory findings and a hemizygous pathogenic variant in HPRT1 identified by molecular genetic testing and/or low HGprt enzyme activity identified on biochemical testing. Treatment of manifestations: Hyperuricemia is most commonly treated with the xanthine oxidase inhibitor allopurinol to reduce the risk for nephropathy, gouty arthritis, and tophi. Febuxostat may be used in case of allopurinol hypersensitivity. Multidisciplinary specialists may be needed to manage the neurologic manifestations. Depending on needs, specialists in medical genetics, neurology, behavioral management, developmental pediatrics, physical medicine and rehabilitation, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, dentistry, and nephrology may be required. Surveillance: HPRT1 disorders are not clinically progressive; however, surveillance is important for all HPRT1 disorders. While overproduction of uric acid does not get worse with time, chronic overproduction of uric acid – especially if not well controlled – may lead to cumulative pathology in the kidneys and/or joints. Similarly, new or worsening neurologic problems are not expected over time; however, some evolution of the neurologic problems occurs in the first few years of life, which reflects development of the nervous system in response to a static insult. Agents/circumstances to avoid: Probenecid and other drugs that increase the risk for precipitation of uric acid in the urinary system and may cause acute renal failure; certain chemotherapy agents, such as methotrexate, that block synthesis or use of purines; periods of relative dehydration because they increase the risk for renal stones or urate nephropathy. Evaluation of relatives at risk: It is appropriate to clarify the status of males at risk for HPRT1 disorders immediately after birth in order to identify as early as possible those who would benefit from prompt initiation of xanthine oxidase inhibitors and anticipation of future needs. HPRT1 disorders are X linked. The risk to sibs of a male proband depends on the genetic status of the mother. If the mother of the proband has an HPRT1 variant, the chance of transmitting it in each pregnancy is 50%: males who inherit a pathogenic HPRT1 variant will be affected. Females who inherit the pathogenic variant will be heterozygotes and will virtually always be clinically normal. If the proband represents a simplex case (i.e., a single occurrence in a family) and if the proband has a known HPRT1 variant that cannot be detected in his mother’s leukocyte DNA, the risk to sibs is low but greater than that of the general population because of the possibility of maternal mosaicism. Once an HPRT1 pathogenic variant has been identified in an affected family member, heterozygote testing for females and prenatal/preimplantation genetic testing are possible.

Lesch-Nyhan syndrome (LN) is an is an X-linked recessive inborn error of metabolism that arises from a deficiency of purine salvage enzyme hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT). The disease manifests severely, causing intellectual deficits and other neural abnormalities, hypercoagulability, uncontrolled self-injury, and gout. While allopurinol is used to alleviate gout, other symptoms are less understood, impeding treatment. Herein, we present a high-throughput multi-omics analysis of red blood cells (RBCs) from three pediatric siblings carrying a novel S162N HPRT1 mutation. RBCs from both parents-the mother, a heterozygous carrier, and the father, a clinically healthy control-were also analyzed. Global metabolite analysis of LN RBCs shows accumulation of glycolytic intermediates upstream of pyruvate kinase, unsaturated fatty acids, and long chain acylcarnitines. Similarly, highly unsaturated phosphatidylcholines are also elevated in LN RBCs, while free choline is decreased. Intracellular iron, zinc, selenium, and potassium are also decreased in LN RBCs. Global proteomics documented changes in RBC membrane proteins, hemoglobin, redox homeostasis proteins, and the enrichment of coagulation proteins. These changes were accompanied by elevation in protein glutamine deamidation and methylation in the LN children and carrier mother. Treatment with allopurinol incompletely reversed the observed phenotypes in the two older siblings currently on this treatment. This unique data set provides novel opportunities for investigations aimed at potential therapies for LN-associated sequelae.

Complete deficiency of hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT) activity causes Lesch Nyhan disease (LND), characterized by hyperuricemia, severe action dystonia, choreoathetosis, ballismus, cognitive and attention deficit and self-injurious behavior. Partial HPRT deficiency is present in patients with Lesch-Nyhan variant (LNV), who present with HPRT-related gout and a variable degree of neurological involvement. The diagnosis of HPRT deficiency relies on clinical, biochemical, enzymatic and molecular data. Patients with HPRT deficiency present low or undetectable HPRT activity in hemolysates, with increased adenine phosphoribosyltransferase (APRT) activity. We present a 9-year-old boy who experienced an episode of macroscopic hematuria with dysuria and left flank pain. He presented hyperuricemia and hyperuricosuria. HPRT and APRT activities were both normal in hemolysate; however, HPRT activity assayed in intact erythrocytes was 50% of control levels. A new missense point mutation c.424 A>G (T142A) was found in the HPRT1 gene. The apparent Michaelis constant (Km) for 5-phosphoribosyl-pyrophosphate assayed in patient hemolysate was 20-fold of control levels. In conclusion, we report a patient with HPRT deficiency who presented with both normal HPRT and APRT activity in hemolysate, in which the enzyme activity determined in intact erythrocytes was of diagnostic utility.

Hyperuricemia depends on the balance of endogenous production and renal excretion of uric acid. Transporters for urate are located in the proximal tubule where uric acid is secreted and extensively reabsorbed: secretion is principally ensured by the highly variable ABCG2 gene. Enzyme hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT) plays a central role in purine metabolism and its deficiency is an X-linked inherited metabolic disorder associated with clinical manifestations of purine overproduction. Here we report the case of a middle-aged man with severe chronic tophaceous gout with a poor response to allopurinol and requiring repeated surgical intervention. We identified the causal mutations in the HPRT1 gene, variant c.481G>T (p.A161S), and in the crucial urate transporter ABCG2, a heterozygous variant c.421C>A (p.Q141K). This case shows the value of an analysis of the genetic background of serum uric acid.