The ASGR2 gene encodes a glycoprotein that forms the asialoglycoprotein receptor, also known as the Ashwell receptor, which is specific for desialylated (galactosyl-terminal) glycoproteins and is expressed exclusively in hepatic parenchymal cells (Spiess and Lodish, 1985).From the same cDNA library that was made from the human hepatoma cell line HepG2 and was used to isolate ASGR1, Spiess and Lodish (1985) isolated and sequenced a clone encoding a second asialoglycoprotein receptor, which they referred to as H2 and which had protein sequence homology of 58% to H1.

The rat similarly has 2 ASG receptors, R1 and R2. Spiess and Lodish (1985) found that H1 is more homologous to R1 than to H2, and H2 is more homologous to R2 than to H1.