Urease

There are many different forms of this enzyme in nature, but all have the common function of catalysing the breakdown of urea into carbon dioxide and ammonia.  In plants, this is usually a means to access the nitrogen in urea, but in many bacteria, it is thought to be a protective enzyme.  In such cases, the bacteria are able to produce ammonia to neutralise acids in their immediate environment.  The presence of urease in soil bacteria can be a problem in agriculture if the bacteria are able to break down urea based fertilisers before plants have been able to benefit.

Suggested experimental protocol (new window, 0.1M, pdf format)

Enzyme FAQ (new window)

Enzyme overview (new window, 0.1M, pdf format)