ABSTRACT
Objective To observe the effect of rotavirus (RV) infection on expression level and bioactivity of Na+-H+ exchanger 3 (NHE3) in Caco-2 cells. Methods Model of NHE3-expressing Caco-2 cells was constructed and studied in terms of intervention: control, RV, clathrin antagonist chlorpromazine (CPZ), and CPZ + RV. NHE3 activity and NHE3 protein amount on cell surface were determined by BCECF-AM and biotinylation, respectively. Expression level of clathrin was assayed by Western blot. Results Compared with control group, NHE3 activity and NHE3 surface protein level significantly decreased when the cells were treated with RV. These effects could not be completely cancelled by clathrin antagonist CPZ. Moreover, RV treatment could increase cellular protein level of clathrin, which was cancelled by CPZ. Conclusions The effect of RV infection on NHE3 expression level and biological activity may be related to clathrin-dependent endocytosis pathway, and may be also affected by other endocytosis pathways.