Definition of "histocompatibility antigen" []

• Any of the genetically determined antigens on the surface of cell membranes that serve to identify a cell as self or nonself. These antigens determine whether a tissue graft will be accepted by an organ transplant recipient. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.