alleryStart learning →In which cells does carbonic anhydrase convert carbon dioxide into bicarbonate?
AThe renal tubule cells
BThe red blood cells
CThe alveolar wall cells
DThe liver hepatocytes
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: B. The red blood cells
1. Only a small amount of carbon dioxide can stay dissolved in body fluids.
2. Over 90 percent of it is converted into bicarbonate ions instead.
3. That conversion happens in the cytoplasm of red blood cells.
4. The enzyme driving it is carbonic anhydrase.
5. In the lungs the same reactions run backwards so the gas can be exhaled.
_Source: OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology (CC BY 4.0), Ch 26 "Fluid, Electrolyte, and Acid-Base Balance", section Bicarbonate_
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