A nickel for your ulcers?

Here's the latest animation for the educational video series. This draft is still a little artifact-y but will be in tip top shape soon.  It describes how the bacterium Helicobacter pylori, the causative agent of ulcers, survives the harsh acidic environment of the stomach. Using a nickel-dependent enzyme that catalyzes the production of ammonia, it can neutralize the acid in its immediate environment and cloak itself within a buffer zone. In this way it swims through even the most acidic parts of the stomache unscathed. Since we humans don't have much need for nickel, processes like this one that require nickel have become attractive targets for antibacterial intervention.