HBA2 and necrotizing enterocolitis: To further validate the gene expression profiles identified by RNA-Seq analyses, we used qPCR to test representative DEGs in NEC samples among those known to be involved in the inflammatory processes, innate immunity and antimicrobial responses: CXCL10, TLR4, TLR10, DEFA5, DEFA6, REG3A, LCN2, TFF3, HBA2 and HBG2.