Figure 3
The pain and metastasis genes encode extracellular proteins enriched for functions in extracellular matrix organization, angiogenesis, oncogenesis and axonogenesis. Shown are expression levels of the pain and metastasis genes relative to normal tissue in pN+ cancers (n = 7) and other cancers (n = 12) determined to be N0 by pathological evaluation of the neck dissection specimen (pN0) or by lack of nodal disease after one year for patients who did not have a neck dissection (i.e., those staged pNx). Associations of the genes with cancer, angiogenesis, neuronal functions (generation of neurons (GO: 0048699), neuronal sensitization, axonogenesis or other neural functions), cellular location, whether genes have been reported in exosomes and association with extracellular matrix organization are indicated below the plot. Presence in exosomes in human tissues or cells is shown according to reported number (\(\ge\) 3 or < 3) of five International Society for Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV) minimal experimental requirements for definition of extracellular vesicles. Some of the pain and metastasis genes (by definition more highly expressed in N+ cancers than N0 cancers and normal tissue) are also overexpressed in N0 cancers compared to normal tissue (indicated by asterisks). Genes are shown in ascending order of expression in N0 cancers.
