Two cDNAs encoding functional carbonic anhydrase (CA) enzymes were recently isolated from a non-photosynthetic, cotyledon library of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) seedlings with putative plastid-targeting sequences (GenBank accession nos. AF132854 and AF132855). Relative CA transcript abundance and enzyme activity increased 9 and 15 times, respectively, in cotton embryos during the maximum period of reserve oil accumulation. Specific sulfonamide inhibitors of CA activity significantly reduced the rate of [ 14 C]acetate incorporation into total lipids in cotton embryos in vivo, and in embryo plastids in vitro, suggesting a role for CA in plastid lipid biosynthesis. CA inhibitors did not affect acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase activity or total storage protein synthesis. Similar results were obtained for two other plant systems: cell suspensions (and isolated plastids therefrom) of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum), and chloroplasts isolated from leaves of transgenic CA antisensesuppressed tobacco plants (5% of wild-type CA activity). In addition, tobacco cell suspensions treated with the CA inhibitor ethoxyzolamide showed a substantial loss of CO 2 compared with controls. The rate of [ 14 C]acetate incorporation into lipid in cell suspensions was reduced by limiting external [CO 2 ] (scrubbed air), and this rate was further reduced in the presence of ethoxyzolamide. Together, these results indicate that a reduction of CA activity (biochemical or molecular inhibition) impacts the rate of plant lipid biosynthesis from acetate, perhaps by impairing the ability of CA to efficiently "trap" inorganic carbon inside plastids for utilization by acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase and the fatty acid synthesis machinery.Carbonic anhydrase (CA, EC 4.2.1.1) is a zinccontaining metalloenzyme that catalyzes the reversible hydration of CO 2 to HCO 3 Ϫ . The widespread abundance of CA isoforms in plants, animals, and microorganisms suggest that this enzyme has many diverse roles in biological processes. CA plays a critical role in biological systems because CO 2 gas is the membrane permeable form of inorganic carbon for cells, and, in general, the uncatalyzed interconversion between HCO 3 Ϫ and CO 2 is slow when compared with the required rate in living cells (Badger and Price, 1994).In photosynthetic organisms, one generally accepted physiological role of CA is to provide sufficient levels of inorganic carbon as part of a CO 2 -concentrating mechanism for improved photosynthetic efficiency. In Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, Badger and Price (1992) suggested that chloroplastic CA plays a role in photosynthetic carbon assimilation by converting accumulated pools of HCO 3 Ϫ to CO 2 , which is the substrate for Rubisco. Moroney et al. (1985) revealed that the reduction of periplasmic CA activity by using CAspecific inhibitors significantly reduced the efficiency of external inorganic carbon utilization for photosynthesis. Like green algae, CA in cyanobacteria plays an important role in the CO 2 -concentrating mechanism and in photosynthesis (Badger an...