Urease

Urease is a nickel-containing enzyme encoded by several microorganisms and plants since its physiological role, involving the conversion of urea into ammonia, is crucial for their survival and/or pathogenicity. The story of urease is rich in Guinness records, i.e., being the first enzyme crystallized, a milestone in the understanding of the protein nature of enzymes, and fascinated and intrigued researchers for a long time. The intense literature on ureases, as proof of the great interest of the scientific community, is clearly liked to its multifaceted versatility, which ensures applicability not only in the biomedical field. In fact, besides the frantic MedChem search for new antimicrobial agents with innovative mechanisms of action, also the need to develop diagnostic kits for Helicobacter pylori infectious diseases and prepare effective fertilizers significantly contribute to enhancing the knowledge and improving the characterization of ureases. In this frame, in the last decades, insights into the tridimensional structure of urease, its mechanism of catalysis, and its inhibition have been widely described. Herein, an overview of the enzyme structure, physiology, and role in human diseases is presented along with a compendium of the latest inhibitors designed and developed in the last years.