Genes expected to be absent, or expressed at a notably low level, in these cells, and whose absence supports the assignment of this cell annotation.
—
Rationale
MYOCD (myocardin) is a transcription factor driving smooth muscle cell differentiation and is enriched in smooth muscle cells. MYH11 (smooth muscle myosin heavy chain) is a contractile protein with enriched expression in mature smooth muscle cells. Together these markers reliably identify smooth muscle cells within the mural cell compartment and distinguish them from pericytes and other stromal populations.
