Gout and hyperuricemia in Japan: perspectives for international research on purines and pyrimidines in man.

One of the best-known disorders in purine metabolism is accumulation of uric acid leading to gout. Gout is a lifestyle disease, which was nicely illustrated in the joint symposium of the Japanese Society of Gout and Nucleic Acid Metabolism and of the Purine and Pyrimidine Society held in February 2011 in Tokyo, Japan. The westernization of the Japanese diet led to an increase in hyperuricemia in Japanese, which subsequently boosted research in this field, as illustrated in this symposium. As a consequence, Japanese nucleotide research also expanded, leading to the development of not only new drugs for treatment of gout, but also for other diseases such as cancer, viral infections, and cardiovascular diseases. The research on inborn errors led to the identification of various genetic polymorphisms affecting drug metabolism, revealing differences between Asians and non-Asians. Such genetic differences may also affect the enzymatic properties of an enzyme or a transporter, necessitating specific inhibitors. This knowledge will help to introduce personalization of treatment. In this symposium, the interaction between various specialties formed an excellent basis for translational research between these specialties but also from the bench to the clinic.