MHC: Meaning and Definition of

MHC

Pronunciation: [key]
  1. major histocompatibility complex: (in mammals) a group of genes located next to or near each other on a specific chromosome, the sixth in humans, most of which encode glycoproteins of highly variable shapes that are expressed on almost all cell surfaces: it plays the dominant role in distinguishing one individual's cells from another's and in determining the histocompatibility of any two individuals. Cf.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.