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Milan Hašek and the discovery of immunological tolerance

Nature Reviews Immunology volume 3, pages 591–597 (2003)Cite this article

Abstract

This year is the 50th anniversary of the publication of a paper by Milan Hašek, in which he showed the phenomenon of immunological tolerance by the selective failure of chimaeric chick-embryo parabionts to produce antibodies against the red blood cells of each other. The discovery of tolerance was credited by the Nobel prize, but excluded Hašek, because he misinterpreted his original experimental results. Hašek exuded an impressive personality and a much admired joie de vivre. With the benefit of hindsight, this article assesses the background of the period and the circumstances that led to this important discovery. I discuss Hašek's experimental ingenuity, the influence of the Lysenkoist genetic doctrine, Hašek's acceptance of the immunological theory to explain his work and his role in establishing a successful institute at the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences.

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Figure 1: Photograph of Bohumil Sekla.
Figure 2: Embryo parabiosis.
Figure 3: Photograph of Peter Medawar, J. Z. Young, Milan Hašek and Leslie Brent
Figure 4: Anne McLaren and Donald Michie visiting Milan Hašek's department in Prague-Dejvice in 1956.
Figure 5

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Acknowledgements

I would like to thank V. Hašková, A. McLaren, M. Havlik, P. Koldovský, A. Mitchison, J. Klein, P. Ivanyi, R. Lechler, V. Holáň, J. Sekerák, J. Šterzl, I. Hilgert and L. Martinek for valuable help in writing this article.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. the Guy's Campus of Kings College London, 28 Floor Guy's Tower, Guy's Hospital, London, SE1 9RT, UK

    Juraj Ivanyi

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  1. Juraj Ivanyi
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DATABASES

LocusLink

CD28

CD40

CD52

FURTHER INFORMATION

Peter Brian Medawar Nobel Lecture

Immune tolerance network

Immune tolerance

Glossary

EPIGENETICS

The study of heritable changes in gene expression that are not caused by changes in the DNA sequence itself.

IMMUNOLOGICAL TOLERANCE

Lack of immune responsiveness to a specific antigen, due to an active process by the immune system when pre-exposed to antigen under suitable conditions — for example, during early ontogeny.

VEGETATIVE HYBRID

A chimaeric animal with some acquired cells that contain alleles different from host cells. It is distinct from a sexual hybrid (heterozygote), which has two alleles of each gene pair in each cell.

EMBYRO PARABIOSIS

The joining of blood vessels during embryonic life, leading to the exchange of blood between genetically different embryos. First achieved by Hašek using a blastoderm bridge for the joining of eggs.

HETEROSIS

The superiority of a heterozygous phenotype compared with that of the homozygous parents. Also known as hybrid vigor.

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Ivanyi, J. Milan Hašek and the discovery of immunological tolerance. Nat Rev Immunol 3, 591–597 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/nri1133

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