 Mesenchymal stem cells, MSCs, are multi-potent cells found in nearly all tissues and are mainly located in perivascular niches. They have migratory capabilities and can seek reproductive factors and act as a primary matrix for tissue regeneration during inflammation, tissue injuries and certain cancers. MSCs derived from different adult adipose tissue, peripheral blood, bone marrow and neonatal tissues, particular parts of the placenta and umbilical cord are compared in terms of their cell biology, surface marker expression and proliferative capacity. Additionally, several master of science functions including in vitro and in vivo differentiation capacities within a variety of lineages and immune modulatory properties are highlighted. Differences in the extracellular milieu such as the presence of interacting neighboring cell populations, exposure to proteases or a hypoxic microenvironment contribute to functional developments within master of science populations originating from different tissues, while intracellular conditions such as the expression levels of certain microRNAs can further balance master of science function and fate. This article was authored by Bome Stephanie, Casper Cornelia, Has Ralph and others. We are article.tv, links in the description below.