The following sections of this BookRags Literature Study Guide is offprint from Gale's For Students Series: Presenting Analysis, Context, and Criticism on Commonly Studied Works: Introduction, Author Biography, Plot Summary, Characters, Themes, Style, Historical Context, Critical Overview, Criticism and Critical Essays, Media Adaptations, Topics for Further Study, Compare & Contrast, What Do I Read Next?, For Further Study, and Sources.
(c)1998-2002; (c)2002 by Gale. Gale is an imprint of The Gale Group, Inc., a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Gale and Design and Thomson Learning are trademarks used herein under license.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Encyclopedia of Popular Fiction: "Social Concerns", "Thematic Overview", "Techniques", "Literary Precedents", "Key Questions", "Related Titles", "Adaptations", "Related Web Sites". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Guide to Literature for Young Adults: "About the Author", "Overview", "Setting", "Literary Qualities", "Social Sensitivity", "Topics for Discussion", "Ideas for Reports and Papers". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
All other sections in this Literature Study Guide are owned and copyrighted by BookRags, Inc.
Japanese molecular biologist Susumu Tonegawa is a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Tonegawa's work made important advances into understanding of the genetic mechanisms of immunological systems.
Tonegawa received his doctorate from the University of California at San Diego in 1969. In 1971, Tonegawa became a of member of the Basel Institute for Immunology in Switzerland where he conducted research until accepting the professorship at MIT in 1981.
Tonegawa work in immunogenetics showed distinct relationships between antibodies and the genes responsible for their production and regulation. Tonegawa reported that there were alterations in patterns of chromosomal recombination that allowed the genes responsible for antibody production to move closer to one another on chromosomes. Tonegawa's worked gained a Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1987.
The selective recombination mechanism allows organisms to enhance the production of antibodies. For example, although the human body has a limited number of chromosomes and a finite amount of DNA (only a portion of which is related to immune system function), cells are able to produce highly specific antibodies to a vast number of antigens. Tonegawa's work established that gene rearrangements allowed for increased variety in the production of antibodies.
Born in Nagoya, Japan, Tonegawa took his undergraduate studies in chemistry at Kyoto University in Japan in 1963 moving to the United States to undertake his graduate studies at the University of California. Tonegawa's Nobel Prize winning research was conducted at Basel Institute for Immunology in Basel, Switzerland.