Microvascular mural cells (MMCs), comprising pericytes and microvascular smooth muscle cells, are of increasing interest in multiple fields of research for their plasticity and their organotypic functional roles in microvascular homeostasis and disease. They have been described as a heterogeneous cell population constituting a continuum of cell phenotypes along the microvascular bed with vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) at one end of the spectrum and pericytes at the other end. MMC organotypic subpopulations have been suggested to function in a tissue-context-dependent manner, thereby contributing to organ-specific functional roles. However, the phenotypic and organotypic heterogeneity as well as their origin and marker identification are hitherto poorly defined. Here we review recent work and emerging concepts regarding MMC phenotypic and organotypic heterogeneity and their functional plasticity in health and disease.

包含周细胞和微血管平滑肌细胞的微血管壁细胞（MMC），由于其可塑性及其在微血管动态平衡和疾病中的器官型功能作用，在多个研究领域中受到越来越多的关注。它们被描述为异质性细胞群体，构成沿微血管床的细胞表型的连续体，在光谱的一端具有血管平滑肌细胞（VSMC），在另一端具有周细胞。已经提出MMC器官型亚群以组织背景依赖性方式起作用，从而有助于器官特异性功能作用。然而，迄今为止，表型和器官型异质性以及它们的起源和标志物鉴定尚不明确。