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Profile

Alison Kohlmeier

  • Department of Gynecology & Obstetrics
    Assistant Professor
  • alison.swaims.kohlmeier@emory.edu
Head shot of Alison Kohlmeier

Overview

The overwhelming majority of women and adolescent girls of reproductive age experience periodic menstruation, and though the menstrual cycle drives substantial immune alterations throughout the female reproductive tract (FRT) which can influence susceptibility to sexually transmitted infections (STIs) by pathogens including HIV and Chlamydia, the impact of the menstrual cycle on cellular immunity generated against STIs is not well-understood and greatly understudied. My research applies basic tenets of regional mucosal T cell immunology to investigate memory immune surveillance under menstrual cycle regulation and develop novel biomedical intervention strategies that can help prevent STI/HIV infections and associated diseases in women.

Some of the main interests of my program seek to determine the mechanisms by which the menstrual cycle influences memory T cell generation and persistence. We have previously discovered that the menstrual cycle regulates FRT memory CD4 T cell surveillance through two distinct cell subsets, classic tissue-resident memory, and migratory memory T cells. Although both subsets have been shown to effectively respond to both bacterial and viral infections, our studies suggest that distinct surveillance behaviors exhibited by these subsets under menstrual cycle regulation may drive vulnerability windows for infection risk as well as undermine local immune memory defenses. By simulating menstruation in murine models, we study how the durability and recall response of antigen-specific memory T cell subsets generated from STIs such as Chlamydia muridarum (a mouse model of human Chlamydia trachomatis infection-risk) are influenced by endometrial tissue-remodeling.

Another area of investigation in our lab is the elucidation of the immune landscape under menstrual cycle regulation, both systemically and in the tissue, in order to identify novel immune correlates of STI pathogen susceptibility and disease risk. Specifically, we measure sex hormone shifts with cellular immune properties and signaling molecules over time. We are also performing a prospective RNA-sequencing study from adaptive and innate immune mediators to identify potential indicators of bystander T cell recruitment and STI risk in women over the cycle.

Finally, our lab also works with local clinical investigations through Emory University Medical School in order to gain translational insights into our discoveries as well as provide support to clinicians needing specialized immunologic guidance. Some of these studies include collaborations that aim to define how the menstrual cycle influences FRT memory T cell surveillance following an STI. We are also investigating the role of biological sex on memory T cell surveillance in the context of disease risk.

Academic Appointment

  • secondary appointment, Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University School of Medicine

Education

Degrees

  • PhD from Rutgers University

Research

Publications

  • Murine modeling of menstruation identifies immune correlates of protection during Chlamydia muridarum challenge.
    bioRxiv
    05/23/2024 Authors: Lawrence LA; Vidal P; Varughese RS; Tiger Li Z-R; Chen TD; Tuske SC; Jimenez AR; Lowen AC; Shafer WM; Swaims-Kohlmeier A
  • The menstrual cycle regulates migratory CD4 T-cell surveillance in the female reproductive tract via CCR5 signaling.
    Mucosal Immunol Volume: 17 Page(s): 41 - 53
    02/01/2024 Authors: Elliott Williams M; Hardnett FP; Sheth AN; Wein AN; Li Z-RT; Radzio-Basu J; Dinh C; Haddad LB; Collins EMB; Ofotokun I
  • Proinflammatory oscillations over the menstrual cycle drives bystander CD4 T cell recruitment and SHIV susceptibility from vaginal challenge.
    EBioMedicine Volume: 69 Page(s): 103472
    07/01/2021 Authors: Swaims-Kohlmeier A; Sheth AN; Brody J; Hardnett FP; Sharma S; Bonning EW; Ofotokun I; Massud I; Garca-Lerma JG
  • Distinct cellular immune properties in cerebrospinal fluid are associated with cognition in HIV-infected individuals initiating antiretroviral therapy.
    J Neuroimmunol Volume: 344 Page(s): 577246
    07/15/2020 Authors: Amundson B; Lai L; Mulligan MJ; Xu Y; Zheng Z; Kundu S; Lennox JL; Waldrop-Valverde D; Franklin D; Swaims-Kohlmeier A
  • Interleukin-36 Is Elevated in Cervicovaginal Epithelial Cells in Women With Bacterial Vaginosis and In Vitro After Infection With Microbes Associated With Bacterial Vaginosis.
    J Infect Dis Volume: 221 Page(s): 983 - 988
    03/02/2020 Authors: Gardner JK; aniewski P; Knight A; Haddad LB; Swaims-Kohlmeier A; Herbst-Kralovetz MM
  • Impact of etonogestrel implant use on T-cell and cytokine profiles in the female genital tract and blood.
    PLoS One Volume: 15 Page(s): e0230473
    01/01/2020 Authors: Haddad LB; Swaims-Kohlmeier A; Mehta CC; Haaland RE; Brown NL; Sheth AN; Chien H; Titanji K; Achilles SL; Lupo D
  • IL-36 Is a Key Regulator of Neutrophil Infiltration in the Vaginal Microenvironment and Limits Neuroinvasion in Genital HSV-2 Infection.
    J Immunol Volume: 203 Page(s): 2655 - 2664
    11/15/2019 Authors: Gardner JK; Swaims-Kohlmeier A; Herbst-Kralovetz MM
  • Chronic immune barrier dysregulation among women with a history of violence victimization.
    JCI Insight Volume: 4
    05/16/2019 Authors: Swaims-Kohlmeier A; Haddad LB; Li Z-RT; Brookmeyer KA; Baker JM; Widom CS; Lamousin JC; Chi K-H; Chen CY; Kersh EN
  • Progesterone Levels Associate with a Novel Population of CCR5+CD38+ CD4 T Cells Resident in the Genital Mucosa with Lymphoid Trafficking Potential.
    J Immunol Volume: 197 Page(s): 368 - 376
    07/01/2016 Authors: Swaims-Kohlmeier A; Haaland RE; Haddad LB; Sheth AN; Evans-Strickfaden T; Lupo LD; Cordes S; Aguirre AJ; Lupoli KA; Chen C-Y
  • Immune activation induces immortalization of HTLV-1 LTR-Tax transgenic CD4+ T cells.
    Blood Volume: 116 Page(s): 2994 - 3003
    10/21/2010 Authors: Swaims AY; Khani F; Zhang Y; Roberts AI; Devadas S; Shi Y; Rabson AB
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