Dexamethasone disrupts intracellular pH homeostasis to delay coronavirus infectious bronchitis virus cell entry via sodium hydrogen exchanger 3 activation.

ABSTRACT: Coronavirus entry into host cells enables the virus to initiate its replication cycle efficiently while evading host immune response. Cell entry is intricately associated with pH levels in the cytoplasm or endosomes. In this study, we observed that the sodium hydrogen exchanger 3 (Na⁺/H⁺ exchanger 3 or NHE3), which is strongly activated by dexamethasone (Dex) to promote cell membrane Na⁺/H⁺ exchange, was critical for cytoplasmic and endosomal acidification. Dex activates NHE3, which increases intracellular pH and blocks the initiation of coronavirus infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) negative-stranded genomic RNA synthesis. Also, Dex antiviral effects are relieved by the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) antagonist RU486 and the NHE3 selective inhibito

SUBMITTER: Dai J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12172481 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature