Overview of Human Carbonic Anhydrases

Abstract

In human body there are 15 proteins that possess highly homologous β-sheet-based structure called carbonic anhydrases (CAs) because 12 of them catalyze the reversible hydration of carbon dioxide to bicarbonate and acid protons using the Open image in new window that is located in the active site of catalytically active CA. The remaining 3 CA isoforms do not possess this catalytic activity because they do not contain the Open image in new window and thus are called carbonic anhydrase-related proteins (CARPs). The 12 catalytically active proteins are the proteins analyzed in this book from the perspective of drug targeting. The CA isoforms possess variable levels of catalytic activity, different cellular localization, patterns of multimerization, domain organization, and attachment to membranes. In this chapter we briefly review the CA research, beginning from the discovery of carbonic anhydrase enzyme through the development of specific CA inhibitors into human clinical drugs.