Heidi Hu/Sandbox 1

From Proteopedia

One of the CBI Molecules being studied in the University of Massachusetts Amherst Chemistry-Biology Interface Program at UMass Amherst and on display at the Molecular Playground.

The pathogenic bacterium Helicobacter pylori can colonize the human gut and has been linked to peptic ulcers and gastric carcinomas. One of the reasons that H. pylori can survive in the extremely acidic environment of the human stomach is because of the activity of a nickel-dependent enzyme, urease. The bacteria uses active urease to make ammonia and carbon dioxide from urea and water, and then uses the ammonia to neutralize its local environment. Even in a neutral environment, H. pylori makes a large quantity of inactive urease, which can be quickly activated by inserting nickel into the enzyme in acid shock.