Carbonic anhydrase catalyzes the interconversion of CO2 and bicarbonate. We focused on this enzyme in the amino acid-producing organism Corynebacterium glutamicum in order to assess the availability of bicarbonate for carboxylation reactions essential to growth and for those required for L-lysine overproduction. A whole-genome sequence revealed two genes encoding putative beta-type and gamma-type carbonic anhydrases in C. glutamicum. These genes encode polypeptides containing zinc ligands strictly conserved in each type of carbonic anhydrase and were designated bca and gca, respectively. Internal deletion of the chromosomal bca gene resulted in a phenotype showing severely reduced growth under atmospheric conditions (0.04% CO2) on both complete and minimal media. The growth defect of the Deltabca strain was restored under elevated CO2 conditions (5% CO2). Introduction of the red alga Porphyridium purpureum carbonic anhydrase gene (pca) could compensate for the bca deletion, allowing normal growth under an atmospheric level of CO2. In contrast, the Deltagca strain behaved identically to the wild-type strain with respect to growth, irrespective of the CO2 conditions. Attempts to increase the dosage of bca, gca, and pca in the defined L-lysine-producing strain C. glutamicum AHD-2 led to no discernable effects on growth and production. Northern blot analysis indicated that the bca transcript in strain AHD-2 and another L-lysine producer, C. glutamicum B-6, was present at a much higher level than in the wild-type strain, particularly during exponential growth phases. These results indicate that: (1) the bca product is essential to achieving normal growth under ordinary atmospheric conditions, and this effect is most likely due to the bca product's ability to maintain favorable intracellular bicarbonate/CO2 levels, and (2) the expression of bca is induced during exponential growth phases and also in the case of L-lysine overproduction, both of which are conditions of higher bicarbonate demand.