Figure 2.

Cellular composition is an important driver in changing microRNA signals. Each circle represents a unique cell type making up 1% of a total tissue signal. In the control tissue, 7 different cell types make up 100% of the tissue, with the most abundant cell type (blue) being 40% of the tissue. In disease, the cellular composition can change dramatically and a rare cell type (green) can increase 3-fold. Any cell-specific microRNAs will increase 3-fold, without necessarily altering their expression in the tissue.