Inherited maternal memory T cells protect offspring from respiratory viral infection through disease tolerance
- 1Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
Abstract
Maternal immune transfer is a powerful mechanism for early-life protection from infection, yet the full repertoire of protective factors remains unknown. We discovered that maternal memory T cells are both necessary and sufficient to protect offspring from lethal respiratory infection. This antigen-specific protection operated independently of maternal antibodies and offspring T cell responses and required IL-10 produced by maternal T cells. Transfer of protective maternal T cells reduced offspring inflammatory responses and lung tissue damage without affecting viral burdens, indicating that maternal memory T cells directly suppress pathogenic innate inflammatory responses to preserve offspring health. Critically, maternal vaccination similarly protected offspring in a T cell-dependent manner. These findings reveal maternal antigen-specific T cell transfer as a complementary immunological defense mechanism to protect offspring against pathogens that escape maternal antibodies, with broad implications for maternal vaccination strategies.
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BibTeX
@misc{toure2026inherited,
title = {{Inherited maternal memory T cells protect offspring from respiratory viral infection through disease tolerance}},
author = {H. Toure and B. Jimena and M. E. Caban and E. E. Lederer and D. M. Rico and A. Medlin McFadden and S. Abideen and P. Kokati and W. E. Harrington and M. A. Koch},
howpublished = {bioRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.64898/2026.10.30.763208},
url = {https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.30.763208v1},
note = {CC BY-NC},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Inherited maternal memory T cells protect offspring from respiratory viral infection through disease tolerance
AU - H. Toure
AU - B. Jimena
AU - M. E. Caban
AU - E. E. Lederer
AU - D. M. Rico
AU - A. Medlin McFadden
AU - S. Abideen
AU - P. Kokati
AU - W. E. Harrington
AU - M. A. Koch
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/30
PB - bioRxiv
DO - 10.64898/2026.10.30.763208
UR - https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.30.763208v1
AB - Maternal immune transfer is a powerful mechanism for early-life protection from infection, yet the full repertoire of protective factors remains unknown. We discovered that maternal memory T cells are both necessary and sufficient to protect offspring from lethal respiratory infection. This antigen-specific protection operated independently of maternal antibodies and offspring T cell responses and required IL-10 produced by maternal T cells. Transfer of protective maternal T cells reduced offspring inflammatory responses and lung tissue damage without affecting viral burdens, indicating that maternal memory T cells directly suppress pathogenic innate inflammatory responses to preserve offspring health. Critically, maternal vaccination similarly protected offspring in a T cell-dependent manner. These findings reveal maternal antigen-specific T cell transfer as a complementary immunological defense mechanism to protect offspring against pathogens that escape maternal antibodies, with broad implications for maternal vaccination strategies.
ER -