Carbonic anhydrases (CAs) are a large family of zinc metalloenzymes that catalyze the reversible hydration of carbon dioxide. They participate in a variety of biological processes, including respiration, calcification, acid-base balance, bone resorption, and the formation of aqueous humor, cerebrospinal fluid, saliva and gastric acid. They show extensive diversity in tissue distribution and in their subcellular localization. This CA1 gene is closely linked to the CA2 and CA3 genes on chromosome 8. It encodes a cytosolic protein that is found at the highest level in erythrocytes. Allelic variants of this gene have been described in some populations. Alternative splicing results in multiple transcript variants.