Gout, which results from elevated serum
uric acid (SUA), is a common form of
arthritis that is induced by
urate crystals. A single nucleotide polymorphism, rs2544390, of
LDL receptor related protein 2 (LRP2/
Megalin), has previously been reported to be associated with SUA by a genome-wide association study in a Japanese population. However, it was controversial as to whether rs2544390 is associated with
gout in a Japanese population, since previous studies with Japanese populations have reported an association between
gout and rs2544390 both with and without significance. This prompted us to investigate the association between
gout and rs2544390 of LRP2. Using 1208 clinically diagnosed
gout patients and 1223 controls in a Japanese male population, our results showed that while rs2544390 did not show a significant association with
gout susceptibility in the present study (p = 0.0793, odds ratio [OR] with 95% confidential interval [CI] 1.11 [0.99-1.24]). However, a meta-analysis using previous studies on Japanese populations revealed a significant association with
gout (pmeta = 0.0314, OR with 95% CI 1.09 [1.01-1.18]). We have therefore for the first time confirmed a positive association between rs2544390 and
gout with only a Japanese male population. Our study provides clues to a better understanding of the pathogenesis of
gout and has the potential to lead to novel therapeutic strategies against
gout using LRP2 as a molecular target.