Whole blood was collected in Tempus Blood RNA Tubes (ThermoFisher), and RNA was extracted using MagMax for Stabilized Blood Tubes RNA Isolation Kit, followed by globin reduction using GlobinClear Human (ThermoFisher). To generate sequencing libraries, total RNA (0.5 ng) was added to reaction buffer from the SMART-Seq v4 Ultra Low Input RNA Kit for Sequencing (Takara), and reverse transcription was performed followed by PCR amplification to generate full length amplified cDNA. Sequencing libraries were constructed using the NexteraXT DNA sample preparation kit with unique dual indexes (Illumina) to generate Illumina-compatible barcoded libraries. Libraries were pooled and quantified using a Qubit® Fluorometer (Life Technologies). Sequencing of pooled libraries was carried out on a NextSeq 2000 sequencer (Illumina) with paired-end 59-base reads, using a NextSeq P2 sequencing kit (Illumina) with a target depth of 5 million reads per sample.