Carbonic anhydrase and osteoclasts: localization by labeled inhibitor autoradiography

Autoradiography with tritiated acetazolamide indicates that osteoclasts of the hen and chick contain concentrations of carbonic anhydrase which are similar to those in pancreatic acinar cells. Grain counts of osteoblasts and osteocytes were not different from background. Thus, a sufficient quantity of carbonic anhydrase seems to be present in osteoclasts to be of physiological importance in bone resorption.