Expression of the urease operon increases the likelihood of bacterial survival by contibuting to acid resistance in vitro and in vivo in BALB/c mice. Y.enterocolitica enters the body via an oral path and must survive the acidic stomach before being able to colonize the intestinal mucosa (PubMed:7558281). 2 H(+) + H2O + urea = CO2 + 2 NH4(+) Nitrogen metabolism; urea degradation; CO(2) and NH(3) from urea (urease route): step 1/1. Heterotrimer of UreA (gamma), UreB (beta) and UreC (alpha) subunits. Three heterotrimers associate to form the active enzyme. Belongs to the urease gamma subunit family.