MER2: a red cell polymorphism defined by monoclonal antibodies

Two murine monoclonal antibodies, 1D12 and 2F7, apparently of the same specificity, define a new red cell polymorphism, MER2. 92% of English blood donors are MER2+ giving the gene frequencies MER2+ 0.7159; MER2- 0.2841. Family studies showed that MER2+ is inherited as a Mendelian dominant character and that MER2 is not controlled by any of the main blood group loci. The MER2 antigen is also present on some leukaemia fibroblasts and human cell lines. Using somatic cell hybrids, MER2 appears to be coded for by a gene on chromosome 11 at 11p15.