carbonic anhydrase

noun

carbonic an·​hy·​drase -an-ˈhī-ˌdrās 

-ˌdrāz

: 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

Examples of carbonic anhydrase in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Taste of Carbonation Sour-sensing taste receptors specifically express a gene which encodes carbonic anhydrase 4, which is an enzyme that catalyzes the conversion of CO2 to bicarbonate ions (HCO3^-) and free protons (H^+). —Eunice Liu, Discover Magazine, 2 Sep. 2014

Another was a mutation in a gene responsible for the production of carbonic anhydrase, an enzyme that slows the build up of carbon dioxide in the bloodstream, a phenomenon that is associated with extreme diving. —The Economist, 21 Apr. 2018

Word History

Etymology

anhydrous + -ase; from its promotion of dehydration

First Known Use

1932, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

carbonic anhydrase

noun

carbonic an·​hy·​drase -an-ˈhī-ˌdrās, -ˌdrāz 

: a zinc-containing enzyme that occurs in living tissues (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