Carbonic Anhydrase XIII (CA13)

The carbonic anhydrases (or carbonate dehydratases) form a family of enzymes that catalyze the rapid conversion of carbon dioxide to bicarbonate and protons, a reaction that occurs rather slowly in the absence of a catalyst. The active site of most carbonic anhydrases contains a zinc ion; they are therefore classified as metalloenzymes.the cytosolic CAs (CA-I, CA-II, CA-III, CA-VII and CA XIII)Immunohistochemical analysis showed widespread expression of CA13 in human and mouse tissues, although its distribution differed between human and mouse. While CA13 was expressed at all stages of sperm development in human testis, it was not observed in mouse spermatozoa.