Fig. 3

Differential expression analysis of piRNA in WT serum samples. (a) Volcano plot displays all expressed piRNA in serum samples, illustrating the log2 fold change (FC) against the adjusted p-value (-log10). In this plot, red dots represent downregulated piRNA, while blue dots indicate upregulated piRNA. (b) Lollipop plot visualizing individual DEpiRNA that display significant variations according to log2 fold change and adjusted p-values. The size of the red circles corresponds to the level of significance, as indicated by the adjusted p-values. (c) Heatmap displays the expression levels of piRNA in WT and control samples. Labels denote “F” for favorable WTs, “UF” for unfavorable WTs, and “C” for healthy controls. Red color represents upregulated piRNA, while blue signifies downregulated ones. Visualization of the DEpiRNA was performed using the ggplot2 R package for volcano plots and lollipop plots, and the complex Heatmap R package for heatmap