The differentially expressed genes during wool follicle phase transformation. A total of 438 genes (136 upregulated and 302 downregulated genes, respectively) were identified to be differentially expressed in wool follicle bulb samples from the middle anagen phase compared to the catagen phase. In wool follicle bulb samples from the catagen phase compared to the late telogen/early anagen phase, 203 differentially expressed genes (169 upregulated and 34 downregulated genes, respectively) were identified. Additionally, 175 genes (30 upregulated and 145 downregulated genes, respectively) showed significant differences in expression level in wool follicle bulb samples from the late telogen/early anagen phase as compared to the samples from the middle anagen phase. The boxes show the first five enriched GO terms for each group of differentially expressed genes.