Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42720674›Full record

ArticleThe Journal of experimental medicine2026

Upper respiratory tract CD8+ tissue-resident memory T cells protect against viral transmission.

Sarah E Michalets, Yixel Soto-Vazquez, Kathryn M Moore, M Elliott Williams, Ananya Saha, Ariana Jimenez, Yu-Shan Huang, Anice C Lowen, Christopher D Scharer, Alison Swaims-Kohlmeier and 2 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in The Journal of experimental medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Sarah E MichaletsDepartment of Microbiology & Immunology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-3741-7462
Yixel Soto-VazquezDepartment of Microbiology & Immunology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-4624-0766
Kathryn M MooreDepartment of Microbiology & Immunology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-8483-1148
M Elliott WilliamsDepartment of Microbiology & Immunology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-8271-3394
Ananya SahaDepartment of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.ORCID 0009-0002-8205-0716
Ariana JimenezDepartment of Microbiology & Immunology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-3086-5155
Yu-Shan HuangDepartment of Microbiology & Immunology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.ORCID 0009-0003-0327-885X
Anice C LowenDepartment of Microbiology & Immunology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-9829-112X
Christopher D ScharerDepartment of Microbiology & Immunology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-7716-8504
Alison Swaims-KohlmeierDepartment of Microbiology & Immunology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-7237-1826
Rustom AntiaDepartment of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-7991-614X
Jacob E KohlmeierDepartment of Microbiology & Immunology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-7209-6641

Funding

Yerkes National Primate Research Center Role of type-I IFN in regulating COVID-19 induced inflammation and pathogenesisP51OD011132 · OD · EMORY UNIVERSITY · PI Joon Sup Lee · 2012 to 2026
$167.0M
cGMP Manufacture, Fill-Finish, Release, Analytical and Stability Testing and Stability Program of a Nanoparticle Based HIV Envelope Vaccine75N93022D00005 · NIAID · INTERNATIONAL AIDS VACCINE INITIATIVE · PI HASSELL, THOMAS · 2022 to 2025
$8.0M
Cellular and molecular programming of lung resident T cell memoryR35HL150803 · NHLBI · EMORY UNIVERSITY · PI JACOB E KOHLMEIER · 2020 to 2026
$5.4M
Task Area A shall encompass annual follow-up of cohort members, clinical events investigations, study operations, and data analysis and manuscript writing. If implemented, Task A.1 will provide fundin75N92020D00005 · NHLBI · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES · PI WATSON, KAROL E · 2020 to 2025
$5.1M
Exploring the role of T cells in protection from respiratory virus transmissionR01AI190367 · NIAID · EMORY UNIVERSITY · PI JACOB E KOHLMEIER · 2025 to 2026
$1.5M
Illumina NovaSeq 6000 High Throughput DNA Sequencer for Emory UniversityS10OD026799 · OD · EMORY UNIVERSITY · PI BOSINGER, STEVEN EDWARD · 2019 to 2019
$985k
Impact of Resident Memory CD8 T Cells on Respiratory Virus TransmissionF31HL168914 · NHLBI · EMORY UNIVERSITY · PI MICHALETS, SARAH · 2023 to 2024
$71k
NHLBI NIH HHS 75N92020D00005NHLBI NIH HHS F31 HL168914NHLBI NIH HHS R35 HL150803NIAID NIH HHS 75N93022D00005NIAID NIH HHS R01 AI190367NIDA NIH HHS 75N95020D00005NIH HHS 75N93023D00005NIH HHS 75N99020D00005NIH HHS F31 HL168914NIH HHS P51 OD011132NIH HHS P51OD011132NIH HHS R01 AI190367NIH HHS R35 HL150803NIH HHS S10 OD026799NIH HHS S10OD026799
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Intranasal vaccination elicits CD8 tissue-resident memory T cells (TRM) throughout the respiratory tract that provide cross-protection against heterosubtypic viral strains and reduce immunopathology. We previously demonstrated that CD8 TRM can reduce the probability of respiratory virus transmission and the magnitude of infection, using a murine model of parainfluenza virus transmission. Here, we show that CD8 TRM-mediated protection occurs independently of circulating leukocytes, B cells, or CD4 T cells. Additionally, we investigate the contributions of CD8 TRM in different respiratory tract compartments and illustrate that CD8 TRM in the upper respiratory tract (URT), but not the lower respiratory tract (LRT), become activated and proliferate in response to transmitted virus. Furthermore, we demonstrate that CD8 TRM in the URT alone provide sufficient immune surveillance to prevent propagation of infection after viral transmission. These findings offer insights into the development of T cell-based respiratory virus vaccines and shed light on the critical role of URT CD8 TRM in the prevention of viral transmission.

Indexed as

CD8-Positive T-LymphocytesImmunologic MemoryMemory T CellsRespiratory SystemRespiratory Tract InfectionsAnimalsFemaleMiceMice, Inbred C57BL

Identifiers

PMID42720674
PMCPMC13560918

What OpenQuestion holds

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Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.