Abstract
Bone marrow (BM) is the dominant site of hematopoiesis after 20 post-conception weeks (PCWs), but the intricacies of hematopoietic development in fetal BM up to birth and its involvement in malignancies remain unknown. Here, we compared the single-cell transcriptomic profile of BM hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) at the early (12-14 PCW), middle (19-22 PCW) second trimester, and the neonatal stage. The stemness of hematopoietic stem cell and multipotent progenitor (HSC/MPP) is established at the middle second trimester, then maintained until birth. Furthermore, differentiation potentials toward three lineages are enhanced after the middle second trimester for birth, accompanied by the upregulation of aerobic metabolism. Notably, decreased stemness in HSCs/MPPs and higher interferon signals in progenitors at the early second trimester rendered the HSPCs more proximal to leukemogenesis. Collectively, our work elucidated the dynamics of fetal hematopoiesis in preparation for birth, offering valuable insights into the pathological processes underlying leukemia.