Fig. 4
Dynamic expression of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in the germinal center (GC) reaction. a Heatmap showing k-means clustering of specific lncRNAs of each B cell subpopulation indicating dynamic modulation patterns of lncRNAs across different B cell subtypes. b Plot showing the expression of protein-coding genes that are adjacent to lncRNAs specifically expressed in each B cell subpopulations. The enrichment of differentially upregulated genes near lncRNA clusters is shown. c Plot showing the average expression of protein-coding genes that are adjacent to lncRNAs that are differentially expressed in comparison between two B cell subpopulations (p < 2.2 × 10−16 by Wilcoxon's rank-sum test). Box plots show the median as center, first, and third quartiles as the box hinges, and whiskers extend to the smallest and largest value no further than the 1.5× interquartile range (IQR) away from the hinges. d Expression and localization of lncRNAs in relation to protein-coding genes up- or down-regulated. The changes in lncRNAs expression are shown by their proximity to coding genes that are differentially expressed in different stages. NB: naive B cells; CB: centroblasts; CC: centrocytes; MEM: memory B cells; TPC: tonsillar plasma cells; BMPC: plasma cells from bone marrow of healthy donors
