Carbonic anhydrases (CAs), also designated carbonate dehydratases or carbonate hydrolyases, form a large family of genes that encode zinc metalloenzymes of great physiologic importance. As catalysts of the reversible hydration of carbon dioxide, these enzymes participate in a variety of biologic processes, including respiration, acid-base balance, bone resorption and calcification as well as the formation of aqueous humor, cerebrospinal fluid, saliva and gastric acid. Genes in the α-carbonic anhydrase family encode either active carbonic anhydrase isozymes or "acatalytic" (devoid of CO2 hydration activity) carbonic anhydrase-related proteins. Human CA I (CA1) is encoded by the CA1 gene, which maps to a region on chromosome 8 that harbors a cluster of CA genes. CA I localizes to the cytoplasm and research indicates that a severe deficiency of CA I does not result in any obvious hematological or renal consequences.
