Comparison of transcriptome profiles of nucleated red blood cells in cord blood between preterm and full-term neonates

The reactivation of fetal γ-globin expression is an effective strategy for ameliorating the clinical symptoms of β-hemoglobinopathies. However, the mechanism of globin switching, especially the roles of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in this process, remains elusive. We compared the <i>in vivo</i> transcriptome profiles of nucleated red blood cells (NRBCs) isolated from the umbilical cord blood of preterm and full-term newborns. We collected 75 umbilical cord blood samples and performed qPCR of the candidate genes. In this study, we identified 7,166 differentially expressed protein-coding genes, 3,243 differentially expressed lncRNAs, and 79 differentially expressed microRNAs. Our data show that the Fanconi anemia pathway and the H19/let-7/LIN28B axis may be involved in γ- to β-globin gene switching. Moreover, we constructed the hub gene network of the differentially expressed transcription factors. Based on qPCR, we found that <i>BCL11A</i> was differentially expressed based on biological sex. We also confirmed that <i>H19</i> is differentially expressed and established the H19-related network to reveal the potential regulatory mechanisms. We present the profiles of the <i>in vivo</i> transcriptome differences of NRBCs between preterm and full-term neonates for the first time, and provide novel research targets for β-hemoglobinopathies.