CD8B and neoplasm: According to the co-expression network and considering its critical effects on the development of lymphocytes and monocytes, CXCL12, a hub gene in cluster 1—simultaneously strongly related to many other MD resistant protein coding genes, e.g., CD72 and CD8B, as well as candidate lncRNAs MSTRG.360.1 and MSTRG.6754.1—may play an important role in immune response and tumor growth and metastasis induced by MDV infection [33].