title: Perivascular cells as mesenchymal stem cells.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Mesenchymal stem cells are multipotent adult stem cell populations that have broad differentiation plasticity and immunosuppressive potential that render them of great importance in cell-based therapies. They are identified by in vitro characteristics based on their differentiation potential for clinical approaches while their biological properties and in vivo identities are often less understood.
  
  
  METHODS
  Recent research carried out in the last decade on mesenchymal stem cell biology suggests that mesenchymal stem cells from various tissues reside in a perivascular location and these can be identified as pericytes that function as mural cells in microvessels.
  
  
  RESULTS
  This review covers recent progress on understanding the link between pericytes and mesenchymal stem cells discussing specific points such as response to injury and tissue-specific functions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Despite a long and controversial history, there is a growing acceptance that perivascular cells are connected with mesenchymal stem cells, all that is really lacking is genetic evidence to show differentiation of pericytes into different cells types.
authors.affiliation: Department of Craniofacial Development and MRC Centre for Transplantation, NIHR comprehensive Biomedical Research Centre at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust and Kings College, London, UK.
authors.forename: Jifan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mantesso
authors.forename: Paul T
authors.initials: PT
authors.lastname: Sharpe
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D019070:Cell Lineage; D006801:Humans; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D020286:Pericytes / Q000502:physiology*; D055153:Stem Cell Niche