Fig. 5

Dysregulated circRNA levels inversely correlate with proliferation-related pathways. A Bar plot of the log2FC of MSigDB hallmark gene set scores computed between lesions and adjacent mucosa samples (left) and heatmap of the correlation between differentially expressed circRNA levels and hallmark pathway scores (right; *p < 0.05). The heatmap color gradient reflects the correlation coefficient (green for negatively correlated and purple for positively correlated). B Bar plot reporting the number of interactions with RBPs (up) and miRNAs (down) predicted for each dysregulated circRNA. C Circos plot of the significant and coherent correlations between differentially expressed circRNAs and interacting miRNAs and RBP genes (blue, red, and orange arches, respectively). Edge color and intensity reflect the correlation coefficient. D Volcano plot of the differential levels of miRNAs interacting with circRNAs when analyzed in lesions compared to adjacent mucosa. Labeled dots identify the differentially expressed miRNAs. The red dashed line indicates adj. p < 0.05. E Dot plot of hallmark gene set enrichment analysis considering the validated targets of dysregulated miRNAs interacting with circRNAs. The dot size is proportional to the number of target genes, while the color reflects the predicted pathway activation levels (Coefficient)