The bacterium responsible for gastric ulcers, Helicobacter pylori, survives the acidic pH of the stomach surprisingly well. It does so in part by synthesizing and excreting large amounts of the enzyme urease, which hydrolyzes urea to bicarbonate and ammonia. Explain how these reaction products lead to a less acidic environment for H. pylori.

Question

Biology

Francis Rose

5 November, 07:32

The bacterium responsible for gastric ulcers, Helicobacter pylori, survives the acidic pH of the stomach surprisingly well. It does so in part by synthesizing and excreting large amounts of the enzyme urease, which hydrolyzes urea to bicarbonate and ammonia. Explain how these reaction products lead to a less acidic environment for H. pylori.

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Answers (1)

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Allan Haynes · Answer 1

H. pylori uses the enzyme urease to breakdown urea into ammonia (NH3) & carbon dioxide (CO2), where NH3 can act as a buffer to the acidic solution in the stomach.

Explanation:

H. pylori is a bacteria that has the enzyme urease to breakdown urea into ammonia (NH3) & carbon dioxide (CO2). The compound of interest here would be ammonia, or NH3. NH3 is a base, although relatively weak to other stronger bases, which means it has a pH above 7. In the stomach, the pH is acidic, or below 7. By synthesizing ammonia, H. pylori is able to buffer the stomach solution in a manner so that it isn't entirely acidic, but more toward the basic side, thereby allowing for its survival.