Further upstream of the caspases in the apoptosis pathway, XAF1 (LFC +5.26, p < 0.0001), IRF1 (LFC +1.53, p < 0.000341), and STAT1 (LFC +1.850, p < 0.000000118) and pro-apoptotic genes BIRC3 (LFC +2.39, p < 0.00000695) and BIK (LFC +1.43, p < 0.00178) was upregulated in microphthalmia patients (Figure 1B; Table S3). Here, BIK is linked to microphthalmia.