Table 3.
Gene Ontology (GO) analysis.
| GO ID | GO Term | Counts | p value |
|---|---|---|---|
| BIOLOGICAL PROCESS | |||
| GO:0051571 | positive regulation of histone H3-K4 methylation | 9/15 | 0.0017 |
| GO:0042462 | eye photoreceptor cell development | 12/26 | 0.0017 |
| GO:0070555 | response to interleukin-1 | 17/40 | 0.0021 |
| GO:0002053 | positive regulation of mesenchymal cell proliferation | 25/62 | 0.0028 |
| GO:0071320 | cellular response to cAMP | 12/23 | 0.0034 |
| GO:0002407 | dendritic cell chemotaxis | 4/5 | 0.0035 |
| GO:0009629 | response to gravity | 6/8 | 0.0042 |
| GO:0007097 | nuclear migration | 6/9 | 0.006 |
| GO:0051573 | negative regulation of histone H3-K9 methylation | 6/8 | 0.0064 |
| GO:0034446 | substrate adhesion-dependent cell spreading | 8/16 | 0.0067 |
| CELLULAR COMPONENT | |||
| GO:0031091 | platelet alpha granule | 18/44 | 0.0065 |
| GO:0031983 | vesicle lumen | 17/46 | 0.0137 |
| GO:0060205 | cytoplasmic membrane-bounded vesicle lumen | 17/46 | 0.0137 |
| GO:0031093 | platelet alpha granule lumen | 16/41 | 0.0171 |
| GO:0034774 | secretory granule lumen | 16/41 | 0.0171 |
| GO:0044306 | neuron projection terminus | 9/20 | 0.0216 |
| GO:1902495 | transmembrane transporter complex | 14/31 | 0.0218 |
| GO:1990351 | transporter complex | 14/31 | 0.0218 |
| GO:0015030 | Cajal body | 8/16 | 0.0239 |
| GO:0034704 | calcium channel complex | 7/12 | 0.0245 |
| MOLECULAR FUNCTION | |||
| GO:0008528 | G-protein coupled peptide receptor activity | 9/15 | 0.0013 |
| GO:0001618 | virus receptor activity | 6/13 | 0.0018 |
| GO:0030955 | potassium ion binding | 5/6 | 0.0064 |
| GO:0005161 | platelet-derived growth factor receptor binding | 17/39 | 0.0078 |
| GO:0008798 | beta-aspartyl-peptidase activity | 4/7 | 0.0097 |
| GO:0030545 | receptor regulator activity | 15/36 | 0.0097 |
| GO:0003777 | microtubule motor activity | 11/20 | 0.0115 |
| GO:0046625 | sphingolipid binding | 5/6 | 0.0128 |
| GO:0008307 | structural constituent of muscle | 6/8 | 0.0131 |
| GO:0017022 | myosin binding | 6/11 | 0.0144 |
Gene set enrichment analysis using GO categories (biological process, cellular component, molecular function) was applied to extract biological meaning from the identified differentially expressed transcripts and predicted mRNA targets. The top 10 GO categories associated with differentially expressed circulating miRNAs in patients with positive SLNs are shown. Counts refers to the ratio between the number of enriched differentially expressed miRNAs and the total number of miRNAs assigned to these terms. P values were calculated with a combination of the Elim method and the Fisher's exact method. GO terms with p values < 0.05 were considered enriched.