Abstract: Objective To investigate the effect of Poly(I:C) on the expression of a virus responsive protein, viperin. Methods Human granulosa cells were obtained from patients who underwent in vitro fertilization. After incubation with FSH or Poly(I:C), the proliferation of granulosa cells were detected by CCK8 method. The expression of viperin, IFN-? were examined by real time PCR after a certain period of time after Poly(I:C) stimulation within 24 hs. The protein expression of viperin were examined by Western blot analysis. Results Ten μg/mL of Poly(I:C) has no significant influence on GCs’ proliferation. Poly(I:C) significantly induced mRNA expression of IFN-? (2 to 4 hs after stimulation) and viperin (8 to 12 hs after stimulation) (P < 0.05). Viperin expression was induced by Poly(I:C) in a dose-dependent manner. Conclusions Poly(I:C) induced IFN-? and viperin expression in human granulosa cells, which indicate that granulosa cells play an active role in anti-virus response upon infection.

Key words: granulosa cells, viperin, virus infection, IFN-β