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Blood transcriptomic markers of necrotizing enterocolitis in preterm pigs
Xiaoyu Pan1, Tik Muk1, Shuqiang Ren1
1Comparative Pediatrics and Nutrition, Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Pediatric Research
|June 11, 2021
Summary
Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) in preterm infants may be detected by analyzing blood gene expression before severe clinical signs appear. This research in piglets suggests dried blood spots could offer a novel method for early NEC biomarker discovery.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal research
- Genomics
- Biomarker discovery
Background:
- Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a severe gastrointestinal disorder in preterm infants.
- Current clinical signs and biomarkers for NEC lack specificity and sensitivity, hindering early prediction.
- Preterm piglets serve as a relevant model for studying NEC development and potential early detection methods.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if early NEC development impacts blood gene expression in preterm piglets.
- To explore the potential of blood gene expression as an early indicator of NEC.
- To identify potential early systemic immune response-related genes affected in NEC.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of clinical, tissue, and blood data from 129 formula-fed piglets with NEC.
- Whole-blood transcriptome analysis of NEC (n=20) and control (CON, n=19) piglets on day 5.
- Validation of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in whole blood and dried blood spots (DBS).
Main Results:
- Preterm piglets exhibited variable NEC lesions, primarily in the colon, with subtle clinical signs.
- Transcriptome analysis identified 344 differentially expressed genes between NEC and CON piglets.
- Specific genes (AOAH, ARG2, FKBP5, PAK2, STAT3) were affected in NEC, detectable in both whole blood and DBS.
Conclusions:
- Blood gene expression changes may precede severe clinical manifestations of NEC in preterm infants.
- Blood gene expression analysis, particularly using DBS, presents a novel approach for identifying early NEC biomarkers.
- This method could facilitate easier blood sample collection in infants for NEC detection.
