Unit Definition

One unit will decrease th pH of a 20 mM tris buffer from pH 8.3 to 6.3 per minute at 0 °C.

Physical form

Supplied as a solution in 20 mM Tris, pH 7.6, with 150 mM NaCl.

Application

Carbonic anhydrase is used to create carbon dioxide capture systems and to research various purification techniques . Carbonic anhydrase is also used to study acid-base regulation in fish and carbonic anhydrase type II deficiency syndrome . Product C7749, Bovine carbonic anhydrase II (CA II), has been widely used as a model protein in the investigation of the protein folding process.

Biochem/physiol Actions

Carbonic Anhydrase is a zinc-containing enzyme that catalyzes the reversible conversion of carbon dioxide to bicarbonate. One of its main physiological roles is to maintain the acid-base balance in blood and other tissues. Lack of carbonic anhydrase results in carbonic anhydrase type II deficiency syndrome, which is an autosomal recessive disease that causes osteopetrosis, renal tubular acidosis and brain calcifications . Carbonic anhydrases are metalloenzymes since most active sites contain zinc. Carbonic anhydrases are widely distributed in plant and animal tissues where they are involved in diverse physiological processes, such as photosynthesis, pH homeostasis, calcification, and bone resorption. The enzymes can be localized in the cytosol or mitochondria, be membrane bound with extracellular domains, or be secreted. Bovine carbonic anhydrase II (CA II) is a cytosolic, single-chain, approximately 29 kDa enzyme.