Molecular Elucidation of a Urate Oxidase from Deinococcus radiodurans for Hyperuricemia and Gout Therapy

Urate oxidase initiates the uric acid degradation pathways and is extensively used for protein drug development for gout therapy and serum uric acid diagnosis. We first present the biochemical and structural elucidation of a urate oxidase from the extremophile microorganism Deinococcus radiodurans (DrUox). From enzyme characterization, DrUox showed optimal catalytic ability at 30 °C and pH 9.0 with high stability under physiological conditions. Only the Mg(2+) ion moderately elevated its activity, which indicates the characteristic of the cofactor-free urate oxidase family. Of note, DrUox is thermostable in mesophilic conditions. It retains almost 100% activity when incubated at 25 °C and 37 °C for 24 h. In this study, we characterized a thermostable urate oxidase, DrUox with high catalytic efficiency and thermal stability, which strengthens its potential for medical applications.