Preparation and Properties of Housefly Uricase

Abstract

Distribution of Uricase. The enzyme uricase, responsible for the oxidation of uric acid to allantoin, is widely distributed throughout both plant and animal kingdoms. In the animal kingdom, the presence of uricase has been reported in mammals, insects, fishes, amphibians, lamellibranchs, crustaceans, gephyrean worms, and gastropods.(1) A more detailed, although by no means exhaustive, list of the animals investigated for the presence of this enzyme appears in Table 1, adapted from Laskowski(2) from Florkin and Duchateau(3).