27 Susumu Tonegawa

Susumu Tonegawa

Time period:

September 5, 1939 – present

Subject:

 Genetics, Immune system, Biotechnology

Biography:

Susumu Tonegawa, Japan’s First Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine, is a distinguished molecular biologist and immunologist. He was born in Nagoya, Japan, and grew up as the second of three sons in a family where his father worked as an engineer in the textile industry. He grew up in the small provinces in Japan but moved to Tokyo to receive a better education, where he would grow an interest in chemistry.After one failed attempt, Tonegawa was admitted to the University of Kyoto to the Department of Chemistry in 1959. This period coincided with political unrest surrounding the renewal of the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty, an agreement signed in 1951 permitting U.S. military bases in Japan. Kyoto University, where Tonegawa was a student, became a hub for radical leftist student groups, resulting in frequent class cancellations due to political discussions and street demonstrations. When the treaty was extended for another 10-year term, Tonegawa, along with his classmates felt defeat. This experience greatly influenced his shift from his original goal of becoming a chemical engineer to pursuing an academic path.

After his undergraduate studies, Tonegawa began his molecular biology graduate study under Itaru Watanabe at the Institute for Virus Research at Kyoto University. After two months, Watanabe suggested that Tonegawa continue his graduate studies in the United States as he recognized the limitations of molecular biology training programs in Japan. With Watanabe’s assistance, Tonegawa was admitted to the University of California at San Diego (UCSD) and earned his Ph.D. in molecular biology in 1968 studying phages under Masaki Hayashi in the Department of Biology.

Soon after starting his postdoctoral research, he applied to work at the Basel Institute for Immunology in Switzerland because his U.S. visa was soon to expire. Tonegawa had no experience in immunology but soon after immersing himself in immunological research, he began research which awarded him the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1987, only three years after being in the field.

Summary of their contributions:

Susumu Tonegawa made significant contributions to the field of molecular biology and immunology. He found fundamental discoveries in the early 1980s concerning how the human body produces antibodies. He found that the immune system can produce a diversity of antibodies which each reacts with and counteracts the effects of separate antigens. His research shows that there is a limited number of genes that can be rearranged through somatic recombination to produce millions of different antibodies in an individual. This was a significant discovery since he demonstrated that diversity in antibodies is not solely inherited but is also generated through somatic recombination and somatic mutations during the growth of immune cells.

In the early 1990s, Tonegawa made a transition to neurobiology research. Using genetically modified mice, he researched specific enzymes, genes and pathways in short and long-term memory. This research may be significant for the development of drugs to treat neurological and psychological disorders.

Integration with the BC Secondary Science Curriculum:

Tonegawa’s research in immunology is prevalent in the BC Science 8 curriculum which looks at the basic functions of the immune system. Tonegawa’s research on antibody diversity can provide a deeper understanding of the role of antibodies, antigens, and immune responses.  His research can also be extended with a more in-depth look at the immune system in Anatomy and Physiology 12. Students can connect his discoveries with the genetic origins of immune responses when looking at somatic recombination for antibody diversity. 

Curricular Competencies:

(Questioning and predicting) Demonstrate a sustained intellectual curiosity about a scientific topic or problem of personal, local, or global interest

• Tonegawa sustained an intellectual curiosity about immunology, neuroscience, and all the topics he explored. All the topics he researched were important in scientific and medical fields, contributing to global interest.

(Processing and analyzing data and information) Use knowledge of scientific concepts to draw conclusions that are consistent with evidence

• Tonegawa used previous knowledge of the topics and was able to come up with investigations which allowed him to draw conclusions which were significant with the tests and evidence gathered.

(Applying and Innovating) Contribute to care for self, others, community, and world through individual or collaborative approaches

• He acknowledges his team for all the help in the research he conducted.  His work contributes to the advancement of knowledge about the human body which benefits both individuals and the broader community.

References:

Building Student Success – B.C. Curriculum. (n.d.). Curriculum.gov.bc.ca. https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/curriculum/science/12/anatomy-and-physiology

Building Student Success – B.C. Curriculum. (n.d.). Curriculum.gov.bc.ca. https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/curriculum/science/12/anatomy-and-physiology

Nobel Prize Outreach (1987)  Susumu Tonegawa – Biographical. The Nobel Prize. https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/1987/tonegawa/biographical/

Shampo, M. A., Kyle, R. A., & Steensma, D. P. (2011, February). Susumu Tonegawa—Japan’s First Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine. In Mayo Clinic Proceedings (Vol. 86, No. 2, p. e14). Elsevier.

The American Association of Immunologists (n.d) Susumu Tonegawa, Ph.D. The American Association of Immunologists. https://www.aai.org/About/History/Notable-Members/Nobel-Laureates/SusumuTonegawa