B.-H. Hou

A widely distributed gene cluster compensates for uricase loss in hominids

The paper identifies a bacterial gene cluster that compensates for human uricase loss by degrading uric acid in the gut, linking gut microbiota to hyperuricemia and gout risk.

Electron transfer proteins in gut bacteria yield metabolites that circulate in the host

The paper shows that gut bacteria use reductive amino acid metabolism to produce metabolites that circulate in the host, linked to energy capture via the Rnf complex.