High correlations in gene expression between paired umbilical cord blood and neonatal blood of healthy newborns on Guthrie cards

Abstract

Objective: To examine the correlation in genes expressed in paired umbilical cord blood (UCB) and newborn blood (NB).

Method: Total mRNA and mRNA of three gene sets (inflammatory, hypoxia, and thyroidal response) was assessed using microarray in UCB and NB spotted on Guthrie cards from 7 mother/infant pairs.

Results: The average gene expression correlation between paired UCB and NB samples was 0.941 when all expressed genes were considered, and 0.949 for three selected gene sets.

Conclusion: The high correlation of UCB and NB gene expression suggest that either source may be useful for examining gene expression in the perinatal period.

• Archived newborn blood spots
• genes and transcripts
• genome-wide
• messenger RNAs
• oligonucleotide microarrays

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the members of the OWL (Origins, Wellness and Life history in cerebral palsy) study team including Marcee Schoenbach, Lynette Biery, Samantha Hansen, Dr. Colleen Barry, Dr. Mohammed Mahmoud, and study participants for their assistance with the collection of data.