Carbonic anhydrases (CA) are a family of metalloenzymes that very rapidly catalyze the addition of water to carbon dioxide to form carbonic acid.
CO2 + H2O ↔ HCO3- + H+
Isoforms of CA can occur in vivo as secretory, cytosolic, mitochondrial, and extracellular GPI-anchored as well as membrane-incorporated with an extracellular active site.
