Table 3.
Gene ontologies of up-regulated processes in BCs versus epithelial cells
| Gene category | List hits | EASE score |
| Response to external stimulus (lymphocytic) | 146 | 5.14E-09 |
| Cellular process | 490 | 4.74E-06 |
| Response to biotic stimulus (lymphocytic) | 94 | 4.87E-06 |
| Ion transport | 68 | 7.05E-06 |
| Defense response (lymphocytic) | 87 | 1.09E-05 |
| Development (developmental) | 165 | 5.05E-05 |
| Hemostasis | 19 | 1.15E-04 |
| Blood coagulation (coagulation) | 18 | 1.68E-04 |
| Cell-cell signaling | 60 | 2.23E-04 |
| Response to abiotic stimulus (lymphocytic) | 60 | 3.74E-04 |
| Cyclic-nucleotide-mediated signaling | 19 | 3.92E-04 |
| Morphogenesis (developmental) | 101 | 4.23E-04 |
| Response to light | 26 | 5.54E-04 |
| Natural killer cell activation (lymphocytic) | 6 | 7.08E-04 |
| Second-messenger-mediated signaling | 20 | 8.47E-04 |
| Perception of light | 25 | 9.29E-04 |
| Synaptic transmission (neurophysiology) | 31 | 9.63E-04 |
| Cell communication | 244 | 1.07E-03 |
| Cation transport | 46 | 1.46E-03 |
| Transmission of nerve impulse (neurophysiology) | 31 | 1.61E-03 |
| Transport | 159 | 1.65E-03 |
| Response to radiation | 26 | 1.73E-03 |
| Organogenesis (developmental) | 88 | 2.09E-03 |
| Metal ion transport | 36 | 2.15E-03 |
| Perception of abiotic stimulus (lymphocytic) | 35 | 2.34E-03 |
| Vision | 23 | 2.54E-03 |
| Immune response (lymphocytic) | 68 | 3.77E-03 |
| Perception of external stimulus (lymphocytic) | 37 | 4.60E-03 |
| Cell surface receptor linked signal transduction | 93 | 5.44E-03 |
| Xenobiotic metabolism | 10 | 6.19E-03 |
| Sensory perception | 34 | 6.34E-03 |
| Heme biosynthesis (erythrocytic) | 5 | 6.40E-03 |
| Response to xenobiotic stimulus | 10 | 8.00E-03 |
| Skeletal development (development) | 18 | 8.65E-03 |
| Potassium ion transport | 19 | 8.71E-03 |
| G-protein signaling | 15 | 9.32E-03 |
| Pigment biosynthesis (erythrocytic) | 6 | 1.10E-02 |
| Monovalent inorganic cation transport | 29 | 1.15E-02 |
| Heme metabolism (erythrocytic) | 5 | 1.16E-02 |
| Negative regulation of natural killer cell activity (lymphocytic) | 3 | 1.28E-02 |
| Regulation of natural killer cell activity (lymphocytic) | 3 | 1.28E-02 |
| Anion transport | 15 | 1.49E-02 |
| Heart development (heart development) | 6 | 1.63E-02 |
| Histogenesis (developmental) | 16 | 1.85E-02 |
| Porphyrin biosynthesis (erythrocytic) | 5 | 1.90E-02 |
| Pigment metabolism (erythrocytic) | 6 | 1.95E-02 |
| Pigmentation (erythrocytic) | 6 | 2.30E-02 |
| Mesoderm development (mesoderm development) | 7 | 2.37E-02 |
| Cellular defense response (lymphocytic) | 13 | 2.44E-02 |
| Response to pest/pathogen/parasite (lymphocytic) | 43 | 2.63E-02 |
When genes were clustered based on their GO, we identified processes characteristic of lymphocytic cells (response to stimulus, defense response, immune response), erythrocytes (heme and porphyrin biosynthesis), coagulation, neurophysiology, development, and mesoderm and heart development.