Rare case of nephrocalcinosis in the distal tubules caused by hereditary renal hypouricaemia 3 months after kidney transplantation

Genetic Basis of the Epidemiological Features and Clinical Significance of Renal Hypouricemia

A genetic defect in urate transporter 1 (URAT1) is the major cause of renal hypouricemia (RHUC). Although RHUC is detected using a serum uric acid (UA) concentration <2.0 mg/dL, the relationship between the genetic state of URAT1 and serum UA concentration is not clear. Homozygosity and compound heterozygosity with respect to mutant URAT1 alleles are associated with a serum UA concentration of <1.0 mg/dL and are present at a prevalence of ~0.1% in Japan. In heterozygous individuals, the prevalence of a serum UA of 1.1−2.0 mg/dL is much higher in women than in men. The frequency of mutant URAT1 alleles is as high as 3% in the general Japanese population. The expansion of a specific mutant URAT1 allele derived from a single mutant gene that occurred in ancient times is reflected in modern Japan at a high frequency. Similar findings were reported in Roma populations in Europe. These phenomena are thought to reflect the ancient migration history of each ethnic group (founder effects). Exercise-induced acute kidney injury (EI-AKI) is mostly observed in individuals with homozygous/compound heterozygous URAT1 mutation, and laboratory experiments suggested that a high UA load on the renal tubules is a plausible mechanism for EI-AKI.

Renal hypouricemia in a recipient of living-donor kidney transplantation: a case report and literature review

Hypouricemia in kidney transplant (KT) recipients is rare since they usually have subnormal kidney function which raises serum uric acid level. Recently, interests in pathogenesis of hypouricemia have been increasing due to the understanding of the role of uric acid transporter in renal hypouricemia (RHUC). We herein report the case of RHUC consequently developed in a KT recipient from a living donor with RHUC diagnosed by the detailed urinary and genetic test. A 73-year-old Japanese man underwent KT, and the donor was his wife who had hypouricemia [serum uric acid (S-UA) 0.6 mg/dL]. Nine months after KT, the recipient's S-UA was low (1.5 mg/dL) with serum creatinine (S-Cr) of 1.56 mg/dL, and fractional excretion of UA (FEUA) was high (59.7%; normal < 10%), indicating RHUC. Regarding the donor's information, S-Cr, S-UA, and FEUA were 0.95 mg/dL, 1.0 mg/dL, and 54.5%, respectively. To investigate further on the pathogenesis of RHUC in both the recipient and the donor, we performed genetic tests. The donor had a homozygous mutation of W258X in the SLC22A12 gene and the recipient had a wild type of W258X. Finally, we reviewed the previous literature on RHUC among KT recipients and discussed the strategy of follow-up for these patients.

Urolithiasis in a Deceased Donor Kidney Transplant Recipient: Case Report

Urolithiasis is a rare complication among kidney transplant recipients, with an incidence of 0.4% to 4.4%. Saudi Arabia has a very hot environment for most of the year, which has been linked to an increased incidence of nephrolithiasis. Additionally, animal protein consumption promotes stone development. Saudi Arabia has 2.5 times the number of stone formation indications as the rest of the world. Several features of urolithiasis and stone composition have already been discussed. The most frequent stone composition is calcium oxalate, followed by uric acid. We discuss the case of a 35-year-old Indian male brain death donor who presented after an automobile accident and had no history of chronic illness. One of his kidneys was transplanted into a female patient. She complained with flank pain and dysuria numerous times after transplant, which turned out to be a urinal track infection. She thereafter developed hematuria with burning micturition, and tests revealed that she had a large renal bladder stone as well as several pelvic kidney stones. The patient received lithotripsy and the stone was removed, and her kidney function was restored.

Transplantation of a kidney with a heterozygous mutation in the SLC22A12 (URAT1) gene causing renal hypouricemia: a case report

Background

Renal hypouricemia (RHUC) is a genetic disorder caused by mutations in the SLC22A12 gene, which encodes the major uric acid (UA) transporter, URAT1. The clinical course of related, living donor-derived RHUC in patients undergoing kidney transplantation is poorly understood. Here, we report a case of kidney transplantation from a living relative who had an SLC22A12 mutation. After the transplantation, the recipient’s fractional excretion of UA (FEUA) decreased, and chimeric tubular epithelium was observed.

Case presentation

A 40-year-old man underwent kidney transplantation. His sister was the kidney donor. Three weeks after the transplantation, he had low serum-UA, 148.7 μmol/L, and elevated FEUA, 20.8% (normal: < 10%). The patient’s sister had low serum-UA (101.1 μmol/L) and high FEUA (15.8%) before transplant. Suspecting RHUC, we performed next-generation sequencing on a gene panel containing RHUC-associated genes. A heterozygous missense mutation in the SLC22A12 gene was detected in the donor, but not in the recipient. The recipient’s serum-UA level increased from 148.7 μmol/L to 231.9 μmol/L 3 months after transplantation and was 226.0 μmol/L 1 year after transplantation. His FEUA decreased from 20.8 to 11.7% 3 months after transplantation and was 12.4% 1 year after transplantation. Fluorescence in situ hybridization of allograft biopsies performed 3 months and 1 year after transplantation showed the presence of Y chromosomes in the tubular epithelial cells, suggesting the recipient’s elevated serum-UA levels were owing to a chimeric tubular epithelium.

Conclusions

We reported on a kidney transplant recipient that developed RHUC owing to his donor possessing a heterozygous mutation in the SLC22A12 (URAT1) gene. Despite this mutation, the clinical course was not problematic. Thus, the presence of donor-recipient chimerism in the tubular epithelium might positively affect the clinical course, at least in the short-term.

Donor-derived hypouricemia in irrelevant recipients caused by kidney transplantation

Background

Hereditary renal hypouricemia (HRH) is a genetically heterogenetic disease. Patients with HRH are almost asymptomatic; but some may experience exercise-induced acute kidney injury (EAKI) and nephrolithiasis which may bring concerns regarding the risk-benefit ratio as marginal kidney donors. This study examined the pathogenic mutations of hypouricemia in two recipients after receiving kidney transplantation, providing preliminary evidence for the mechanism of hypouricemia.

Methods

Two participants underwent detailed biochemical examinations. DNA and RNA were extracted from transplant specimens for sequencing. The whole-genome sequencing and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification were performed to confirm the pathogenic genes. Functional effects of mutant proteins were verified by bioinformatics analysis. RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) was used to study the transcriptome of hypouricemia.

Results

Both of the recipients had the low serum uric acid (UA) (45–65 µmol/l), high fraction excretion of UA (44% and 75%) and an increase in the UA clearance (35.9 and 73.3 mL/min) with a functioning graft. The sequencing analyses revealed 7 kinds of potential mutational genes in this case, two novel mutations p.R89H and p.L181V in SLC22A12 gene which were revealed by bioinformatics could be pathogenic in nature.

Conclusions

Two novel mutations of SLC22A12 were identified. Preliminary functional analysis revealed a potential deleterious effect of these mutations in the grafts derived from the donor and sequencing analysis expand the molecular mechanisms of renal hypouricemia.

Contribution of SLC22A12 on hypouricemia and its clinical significance for screening purposes

Differentiating between inherited renal hypouricemia and transient hypouricemic status is challenging. Here, we aimed to describe the genetic background of hypouricemia patients using whole-exome sequencing (WES) and assess the feasibility for genetic diagnosis using two founder variants in primary screening. We selected all cases (N = 31) with extreme hypouricemia (<1.3 mg/dl) from a Korean urban cohort of 179,381 subjects without underlying conditions. WES and corresponding downstream analyses were performed for the discovery of rare causal variants for hypouricemia. Two known recessive variants within SLC22A12 (p.Trp258*, pArg90His) were identified in 24 out of 31 subjects (77.4%). In an independent cohort, we identified 50 individuals with hypouricemia and genotyped the p.Trp258* and p.Arg90His variants; 47 of the 50 (94%) hypouricemia cases were explained by only two mutations. Four novel coding variants in SLC22A12, p.Asn136Lys, p.Thr225Lys, p.Arg284Gln, and p.Glu429Lys, were additionally identified. In silico studies predict these as pathogenic variants. This is the first study to show the value of genetic diagnostic screening for hypouricemia in the clinical setting. Screening of just two ethnic-specific variants (p.Trp258* and p.Arg90His) identified 87.7% (71/81) of Korean patients with monogenic hypouricemia. Early genetic identification of constitutive hypouricemia may prevent acute kidney injury by avoidance of dehydration and excessive exercise.