What is the carbonic anhydrase equation?

Carbonic anhydrase (CA; carbonate hydro-lyase, EC 4.2. 1.1) is a zinc-containing enzyme that catalyzes the reversible hydration of carbon dioxide: CO2+ H2O<–>HCO3(-)+H+.

What are the functions of carbonic anhydrase?

Carbonic anhydrase, enzyme found in red blood cells, gastric mucosa, pancreatic cells, and renal tubules that catalyzes the interconversion of carbon dioxide (CO2) and carbonic acid (H2CO3). Carbonic anhydrase plays an important role in respiration by influencing CO2 transport in the blood.

What reaction is catalyzed by carbonic anhydrase?

Carbonic anhydrase, which is found within red blood cells, catalyzes a reaction converting CO2 and water into carbonic acid, which dissociates into protons, and bicarbonate ions.

What do you mean by carbonic anhydrase?

: a zinc-containing enzyme that occurs in living tissues (such as red blood cells) and aids carbon-dioxide transport from the tissues and its release from the blood in the lungs by catalyzing the reversible hydration of carbon dioxide to carbonic acid.

What happens if you don’t have carbonic anhydrase?

What would happen if no carbonic anhydrase were present in red blood cells? Without carbonic anhydrase, carbon dioxide would not be hydrolyzed into carbonic acid or bicarbonate. Therefore, very little carbon dioxide (only 15 percent) would be transported in the blood away from the tissues.

What happens if carbonic anhydrase is inhibited?

In the kidneys, carbonic anhydrase inhibitors (CAIs) result in the inhibition of bicarbonate uptake by the proximal tubule, resulting in alkalization of urine.

How is carbonic anhydrase activated?

The activation mechanism of Carbonic Anhydrase was recently explained using kinetic, spectroscopic and X-ray techniques. It has been demonstrated that the activators molecules (CAAs) bind at the entrance of the enzyme active-site facilitating the rate-determining step of CA catalytic cycle.

Why is carbonic anhydrase so fast?

Carbon dioxide is a major end product of aerobic metabolism. While in the blood, carbon dioxide reacts with water. The product of this reaction is a moderately strong acid, carbonic acid (pKa = 3.5), which becomes bicarbonate ion on the loss of a proton.

Where is carbonic anhydrase found in plants?

chloroplasts
Plant β Carbonic Anhydrases βCAs have been found in chloroplasts, mitochondria, the cytosol, and the plasma membrane of Arabidopsis (Table 2), and in the cytosol and chloroplasts of many plants.

What is carbonic anhydrase deficiency?

Carbonic anhydrase VA deficiency is an inherited disorder characterized by episodes during which the balance of certain substances in the body is disrupted (known as metabolic crisis) and brain function is abnormal (known as acute encephalopathy).

What inhibits carbonic anhydrase?

Acetazolamide, dichlorphenamide, and methazolamide are carbonic anhydrase inhibitors.

How do you stop carbonic anhydrase?

Carbonic anhydrase inhibitors may be administered through topical, oral, or IV routes. Examples of carbonic inhibitor medications currently available are acetazolamide, methazolamide, dorzolamide, brinzolamide, diclofenamide, ethoxzolamide, and zonisamide.

How are the three classes of carbonic anhydrase similar?

The three classes of carbonic anhydrase all have the same active site with a Zn metal centre however they are not structurally similar to each other. The main role of carbonic anhydrase in humans is to catalyze the conversion of carbon dioxide to carbonic acid and back again.

How does carbonic anhydrase work in the lungs?

In the lungs, carbonic anhydrase reverses the reaction, turning the carbonic acid back into CO 2 to be exhaled. This process also maintains blood pH by controlling the amount of bicarbonate ions and protons dissolved in the blood. Malfunctions in carbonic anhydrase’s regulation can cause glaucoma, the second leading cause of blindness.

How long is the reverse reaction of carbonic anhydrase?

Typical catalytic rates of the different forms of this enzyme ranging between 10 4 and 10 6 reactions per second. The uncatalyzed reverse reaction is relatively slow (kinetics in the 15-second range).

Can a malfunction of carbonic anhydrase cause glaucoma?

Malfunctions in carbonic anhydrase’s regulation can cause glaucoma, the second leading cause of blindness. This disorder can be treated with inhibitors of the enzyme that prevent over-secretion of fluid that presses on the optic nerve.