Megan Ballinger, PhD

Lab: 355 DHLRI
Office: 305A
614-292-6578
Megan.Ballinger@osumc.edu

Biography

I received a bachelor's degree in Biological Sciences from the University of Toledo where I became interested in a career in basic/translational research while working in a molecular parasitology lab investigating how to inhibit pharyngeal pumping as a mechanism to eliminate nematodes from the gut. From there, I traveled north to the University of Michigan and graduated with a PhD in Immunology. My research focused on the role of lipid mediators in regulating lung host defense function of macrophages and neutrophils following bone marrow transplantation. I remained at the University of Michigan and completed two postdoctoral research fellowships focused on understanding innate immunology within the lung microenvironment. My first postdoc focused focusing on cAMP signaling pathways in regulating macrophage phagocytosis and killing of bacteria. Then I switched my focus to understanding the role of Toll-like receptor signaling after hyperoxia in a model of non-infectious lung injury. In 2014, I secured a faculty position at The Ohio State University in the Department of Internal Medicine and Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine.

The focus of my research lab is to investigate the role of macrophages during both health and disease. Our work has shown tha there are several different subpopulations of macrophages present within the lungs. During injury or inflammation there is a decrease in the tissue resident alveolar macrophages and an increase in monocyte-derived macrophages. We are actively investigating mechanisms that regulate the release of monocytes from the bone marrow, the recruitment of monocytes from the bloodstream into the lungs and the differentiation and activation of these cells within the lung microenvironment. Our work focuses on investigating cell-to-cell interactions that occur during normal homeostasis as well as during chronic lung diseases, such as pulmonary fibrosis or allergic asthmatic inflammation. Additionally, since the lung is a mechanically active organ, that is always moving during breathing, we are interested in developing novel models to investigate the role of mechanical force and stiffness and how these forces contribute to disease progression.

Research Interests

Macrophage and monocyte biology
Pulmonary fibrosis
Toll-like receptor signaling
Allergic inflammation and asthma
Environmental exacerbation of chronic lung disease

Current Research

Investigating the role of macrophage TLR signaling in regulating pulmonary fibrosis
Understanding macrophage-fibroblast interactions during pulmonary fibrosis
Investigating mechanisms of ozone-induced allergic inflammation causing asthma exacerbations

Active Funding

NIH/NHLBI R01HL141217
The Pivotal Role of Macrophages in Regulating Pulmonary Fibrosis
NIH/NHLBI R43HL165998
The role of Oxy210 in regulating pulmonary fibrosis

Education

Post-doctoral Research Fellowship
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, MI

PhD in Immunology
Program in Biomedical Sciences
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, MI

Bachelor of Science (Honors)-Magna Cum Laude
Major: Biological Science; Minor: Biochemistry
University of Toledo
Toledo, OH

Honors

American Journal of Cell and Molecular Biology Top Review Award, 2021
ATS Allergy, Immunology and Inflammation Early Career Achievement Awardee, 2019
Jo Rae Wright Award for Outstanding Science, American Thoracic Society, 2016
Parker B. Francis Fellowship, 2012
Internal Medicine Research Day Abstract Finalist, 2010
Keystone Symposium Scholarship Winner, 2009
Hartwell Foundation Fellowship , 2008
The Miller Fund Award for Innovative Immunology Research, 2005
Graduate of University of Toledo Honors College, University of Toledo, 2002
Sullivan Research Fellowship, 2000
University of Toledo Academic Scholarship, University of Toledo, 1998

Publications

Alveolar macrophages drive lung fibroblast function during idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Novak CM, Sethuraman S, Luikart KL, Reader BF, Wheat J, Whitson B, Ghadiali SN, Ballinger MN. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol 2023 Apr 1;324(4):L507-520.

Ho K, Weimar D, Torres-Matias G, Lee H, Shamsi S, Shalosky E, Yaegar M, Hartzler-Lovins H, Dunigan-Russel K, Jelic D, Novak CM, Gowdy KM, Englert JA, Ballinger MN. Ozone impairs endogenous compensatory responses in allergic asthma. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol. 2023, Jan 15;459:116341

Reader BF, Sethuraman S, Hay BR, Thomas Becket RV, Karpurapu M, Chung S, Lee YG, Christman JW, Ballinger MN. IRAK-M Regulates Monocyte Trafficking to the Lungs in Response to Bleomycin Challenge. J Immunol. 2020 May 15:204(10):2661-2670.

Lee YG, Reader BF, Herman D, Streicher A, Englert JA, Ziegler M, Chung S, Karpurapu M, Park GY, Christman JW, Ballinger MN.Sirtuin 2 enhances allergic asthmatic inflammation JCI Insight. 2019 Jan 22. pii: 124710. doi: 10.1172/jci.insight.124710.

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Journal Articles

Ojielo, CI, Cooke, K, Mancuso, P, Standiford, TJ, Olkiewicz, KM, Clouthier, S, Corrion, L, Ballinger, MN, Towes, GB, Paine, R 3rd, Moore, BB. "Defective Phagocytosis and Clearance of Pseudomonas Aeruginosa in the Lung Following Bone Marrow Transplantation." JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY. Vol. 171, no. 8. (October 2003.): 4416-4424

Rex, E, Molitor, SC, Hapiak, V, Xiao, H, (Henderson) Ballinger, M, Komuniecki, R. "Tyramine Receptor (SER-2) Isoforms are Involved in the Regulation of Pharyngeal Pumping and Foraging Behavior in Caenorhabditis Elegans." J. Neurochem. Vol. 91, (January 2004.): 1104-1115

Moore,B,B; Ballinger,M,N; White,E,S; Green,M,E; Herrygers,A,B; Wilke,C,A; Toews,G,B; Peters-Golden,M. "Bleomycin-induced E prostanoid receptor changes alter fibroblast responses to prostaglandin E-2." JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY. Vol. 174, no. 9. (May 2005.): 5644-5649

Ballinger, Megan, N; Paine,Robert; Serezani,Carlos,HC; Aronoff,David,M; Choi,Esther,S; Standiford,Theodore,J; Toews,Galen,B; Moore,Bethany,B. "Role of granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor during gram-negative lung infection with Pseudomonas aeruginosa." AMERICAN JOURNAL OF RESPIRATORY CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY. Vol. 34, no. 6. (June 2006.): 766-774

Lindell, Dennis, M; Ballinger, Megan, N; McDonald, Roderick, A; Toews,Galen,B; Huffnagle,Gary,B. "Diversity of the T-cell response to pulmonary Cryptococcus neoformans infection." INFECTION AND IMMUNITY. Vol. 74, no. 8. (August 2006.): 4538-4548

Lindell, Dennis, M; Ballinger,Megan,N; McDonald,Roderick,A; Toews,Galen,B; Huffnagle,Gary,B. "Immunologic homeostasis during infection: Coexistence of strong pulmonary cell-mediated immunity to secondary Cryptococcus neoformans infection while the primary infection still persists at low levels in the lungs." JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY. Vol. 177, no. 7. (October 2006.): 4652-4661

Ballinger, Megan, N; Aronoff,David,M; McMillan,Tracy,R; Cooke,Kenneth,R; Olkiewicz,Krystyna; Toews,Galen,B; Peters-Golden,Marc; Moore,Bethany,B. "Critical role of prostaglandin E-2 overproduction in impaired pulmonary host response following bone marrow transplantation." JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY. Vol. 177, no. 8. (October 2006.): 5499-5508

Serezani, Carlos, H; Chung,Jooho; Ballinger,Megan,N; Moore,Bethany,B; Aronoff,David,M; Peters-Golden,Marc. "Prostaglandin E-2 suppresses bacterial killing in alveolar macrophages by inhibiting NADPH oxidase." AMERICAN JOURNAL OF RESPIRATORY CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY. Vol. 37, no. 5. (November 2007.): 562-570

Ballinger,Megan,N; McMillan,Tracy,R; Moore,Bethany,B. "Eicosanoid regulation of pulmonary innate immunity post-hematopoietic stem cell transplantation." ARCHIVUM IMMUNOLOGIAE ET THERAPIAE EXPERIMENTALIS. Vol. 55, no. 1. (February 2007.): 1-12

Aronoff,David,M; Peres,Camila,M; Serezani,Carlos,H; Ballinger,Megan,N; Carstens,Jennifer,K; Coleman,Nicole; Moore,Bethany,B; Peebles,R,Stokes; Faccioli,Lucia,H; Peters-Golden,Marc. "Synthetic prostacyclin analogs differentially regulate macrophage function via distinct analog-receptor binding specificities." JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY. Vol. 178, no. 3. (February 2007.): 1628-1634

Ballinger,Megan,N; Hubbard,Leah,LN; McMillan,Tracy,R; Toews,Galen,B; Peters-Golden,Marc; Paine,Robert; Moore,Bethany,B. "Paradoxical role of alveolar macrophage-derived granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor in pulmonary host defense post-bone marrow transplantation." AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY-LUNG CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR PHYSIOLOGY. Vol. 295, no. 1. (July 2008.): L114-L122

Hubbard,Leah,LN; Ballinger,Megan,N; Wilke,Carol,A; Moore,Bethany,B. "Comparison of conditioning regimens for alveolar macrophage reconstitution and innate immune function post bone marrow transplant." EXPERIMENTAL LUNG RESEARCH. Vol. 34, no. 5. (June 2008.): 263-275

Serezani,Carlos,H; Ballinger,Megan,N; Aronoff,David,M; Peters-Golden,Marc. "Cyclic AMP - Master regulator of innate immune cell function." AMERICAN JOURNAL OF RESPIRATORY CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY. Vol. 39, no. 2. (August 2008.): 127-132

Lee,Sang,Pyo; Serezani,Carlos,H; Medeiros,Alexandra,I; Ballinger,Megan,N; Peters-Golden,Marc. "Crosstalk between Prostaglandin E-2 and Leukotriene B-4 Regulates Phagocytosis in Alveolar Macrophages via Combinatorial Effects on Cyclic AMP." JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY. Vol. 182, no. 1. (January 2009.): 530-537

Sagana,Rommel,L; Yan,Mei; Cornett,Ashley,M; Tsui,Jessica,L; Stephenson,David,A; Huang,Steven,K; Moore,Bethany,B; Ballinger,Megan,N; Melonakos,Janet; Kontos,Christopher,D; Aronoff,David,M; Peters-Golden,Marc; White,Eric,S. "Phosphatase and Tensin Homologue on Chromosome 10 (PTEN) Directs Prostaglandin E-2-mediated Fibroblast Responses via Regulation of E Prostanoid 2 Receptor Expression." JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY. Vol. 284, no. 47. (November 2009.): 32264-32271

Hubbard,Leah,LN; Ballinger,Megan,N; Thomas,Peedikayil,E; Wilke,Carol,A; Standiford,Theodore,J; Kobayashi,Koichi,S; Flavell,Richard,A; Moore,Bethany,B. "A Role for IL-1 Receptor-Associated Kinase-M in Prostaglandin E-2-Induced Immunosuppression Post-Bone Marrow Transplantation." JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY. Vol. 184, no. 11. (June 2010.): 6299-6308

Ballinger,Megan,N; Standiford,Theodore,J. "Postinfluenza Bacterial Pneumonia: Host Defenses Gone Awry." JOURNAL OF INTERFERON AND CYTOKINE RESEARCH. Vol. 30, no. 9. (September 2010.): 643-652

Ballinger,Megan,N; Welliver,Timothy; Straight,Samuel; Peters-Golden,Marc; Swanson,Joel,A. "Transient Increase in Cyclic AMP Localized to Macrophage Phagosomes." PLOS ONE. Vol. 5, no. 11. (November 2010.): e13962-

Bhan,Urvashi; Ballinger,Megan,N; Zeng,Xianying; Newstead,Michael,J; Cornicelli,Matthew,D; Standiford,Theodore,J. "Cooperative Interactions between TLR4 and TLR9 Regulate Interleukin 23 and 17 Production in a Murine Model of Gram Negative Bacterial Pneumonia." PLOS ONE. Vol. 5, no. 3. (March 2010.): e9896-

Bhan,Urvashi; Newstead,Michael,J; Zeng,Xianying; Ballinger,Megan,N; Standiford,Louis,R; Standiford,Theodore,J. "Stachybotrys chartarum-Induced Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis Is TLR9 Dependent." AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PATHOLOGY. Vol. 179, no. 6. (December 2011.): 2779-2787

Ballinger,Megan,N; Peters-Golden,Marc; Moore,Bethany,B. "Impaired neonatal macrophage phagocytosis is not explained by overproduction of prostaglandin E2." RESPIRATORY RESEARCH. Vol. 12, (December 2011.): 155-

Morato-Marques,Mariana; Campos,Marina,R; Kane,Steve; Rangel,Ana,P; Lewis,Casey; Ballinger,Megan,N; Kim,Sang-Hoon; Peters-Golden,Marc; Jancar,Sonia; Serezani,Carlos,H. "Leukotrienes Target F-actin/Cofilin-1 to Enhance Alveolar Macrophage Anti-fungal Activity." JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY. Vol. 286, no. 33. (August 2011.): 28902-28913

Ballinger,Megan,N; Newstead,Michael,W; Zeng,Xianying; Bhan,Urvashi; Horowitz,Jeffrey,C; Moore,Bethany,B; Pinsky,David,J; Flavell,Richard,A; Standiford,Theodore,J. "TLR Signaling Prevents Hyperoxia-Induced Lung Injury by Protecting the Alveolar Epithelium from Oxidant-Mediated Death." JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY. Vol. 189, no. 1. (July 2012.): 356-364

Kovach,Melissa,A; Ballinger,Megan,N; Newstead,Michael,W; Zeng,Xianying; Bhan,Urvashi; Yu,Fu-Shin; Moore,Bethany,B; Gallo,Richard,L; Standiford,Theodore,J. "Cathelicidin-Related Antimicrobial Peptide Is Required for Effective Lung Mucosal Immunity in Gram-Negative Bacterial Pneumonia." JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY. Vol. 189, no. 1. (July 2012.): 304-311

Serezani,C,Henrique; Kane,Steve; Medeiros,Alexandra,I; Cornett,Ashley,M; Kim,Sang-Hoon; Marques,Mariana,Morato; Lee,Sang-Pyo; Lewis,Casey; Bourdonnay,Emilie; Ballinger,Megan,N; White,Eric,S; Peters-Golden,Marc. "PTEN Directly Activates the Actin Depolymerization Factor Cofilin-1 During PGE(2)-Mediated Inhibition of Phagocytosis of Fungi." SCIENCE SIGNALING. Vol. 5, no. 210. (February 2012.): ra12-

Standiford,Louis,R; Standiford,Theodore,J; Newstead,Michael,J; Zeng,Xianying; Ballinger,Megan,N; Kovach,Melissa,A; Reka,Ajaya,K; Bhan,Urvashi. "TLR4-dependent GM-CSF protects against lung injury in Gram-negative bacterial pneumonia." AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY-LUNG CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR PHYSIOLOGY. Vol. 302, no. 5. (March 2012.): L447-L454

Bhan,Urvashi; Newstead,Michael,J; Zeng,Xianying; Podsaid,Amy; Goswami,Moloy; Ballinger,Megan,N; Kunkel,Steven,L; Standiford,Theodore,J. "TLR9-Dependent IL-23/IL-17 Is Required for the Generation of Stachybotrys chartarum-Induced Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis." JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY. Vol. 190, no. 1. (January 2013.): 349-356

Ballinger MN, Welliver T, Straight S, Peters-Golden M, Swanson JA. Transient increase in cyclic AMP localized to macrophage phagosomes. PLoS One. 5(11):e13962, 2010.

Ballinger MN, Peters-Golden M, Moore BB. Impaired neonatal macrophage phagocytosis is not explained by overproduction of prostaglandin E2. Respir Res. Dec 5;12(1):155, 2011.

Ballinger MN, Newstead MW, Zeng X, Bhan U, Horowitz JC, Moore BB, Pinsky DJ, Flavell RA, Standiford TJ. Critical role for IRAK-M in regulating antioxidant production during hyperoxic lung injury J. Immunol 2012 Jul 1;189(1):356-64.

Ballinger MN, Newstead MW, Zheng X, Bhan U, Mo XM, Kunkel SL, Moore BB, Flavell F, Christman JW. IRAK-M promotes alternative macrophage activation and fibroproliferation in bleomycin-induced lung injury. J Immunol. 2015 Feb 15;194(4):1894-904.

Neagos J, Newstead MW, Zheng X, Huang S, Standiford TJ, Ballinger MN. The induction of tolerance in alveolar epithelial cells in response to TLR ligands. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol. 2015 Dec;53(6):872-81

Julian MW, Strange HR, Ballinger MN, Hotchkiss RS, Papenfuss TL, Crouser ED. Tolerance and Cross-Tolerance following Toll-Like Receptor (TLR)-4 and -9 Activation Are Mediated by IRAK-M and Modulated by IL-7 in Murine Splenocytes. PLoS One. 2015 Jul 28;10(7):e0132921.

Domingo-Gonzalez R, Martínez-Colón GJ, Smith AJ, Smith CK, Ballinger MN, Xia M, Murray S, Kaplan MJ, Yanik GA, Moore BB. Inhibition of Neutrophil Extracellular Trap Formation after Stem Cell Transplant by Prostaglandin E2. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2016 Jan 15;193(2):186-97.

Ballinger MN, Christman JW. Pulmonary Macrophages: Overlooked and Underappreciated. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol. 2016 Jan;54(1):1-2.

McQuattie-Pimentel AC, Budinger GRS, Ballinger MN. Monocyte-derived Alveolar Macrophages: The Dark Side of Lung Repair? Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol. 2018 Jan;58(1):5-6.

Karpurapu M, Lee YG, Qian Z, Wen J, Ballinger MN, Rusu L, Chung S, Deng J, Qian F, Reader BF, Nirujogi TS, Park GY, Pei D, Christman JW. Inhibition of nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT) c3 activation attenuates acute lung injury and pulmonary edema in murine models of sepsis. Oncotarget. 2018 Jan 25;9(12):10606-10620.

Chung S, Kim JY, Song MA, Park GY, Lee YG, Karpurapu M, Englert JA, Ballinger MN, Pabla N, Chung HY, Christman JW. FoxO1 is a critical regulator of M2-like macrophage activation in allergic asthma. Allergy. 2018 Oct 4. doi: 10.1111/all.13626.

Lee YG, Reader BF, Herman D, Streicher A, Englert JA, Ziegler M, Chung S, Karpurapu M, Park GY, Christman JW, Ballinger MN. Sirtuin 2 enhances allergic asthmatic inflammation. JCI Insight. 2019 Jan 22. pii: 124710. doi: 10.1172/jci.insight.124710. [Epub ahead of print]
Presentations

"Characterization of Caenorhabditis elegans Octopamine/Tyramine Receptors." Presented at National Conference for Undergraduate Research, Whitewater. (April 2002)

"Upregulation of Prostaglandin E2 Post-Bone Marrow Transplantation Inhibits PUlmonary Host Responses to Pseudomonas Aeruginosa." Presented at American Thoracic Society Conference, San Diego. (May 2005)

"Eicosanoid Regulation of Innate Immunity Post-Bone Marrow Transplantation." Presented at American Thoracic Society Conference, San Diego. (May 2006)

"Eicosanoid Regulation of Host Defense Post-Bone Marrow Transplantation." Presented at Immunocompromised Host-Society, Crans-Montana, CH|CHE. (July 2006)

"PGE2-Induced Immunosuppression Post-Bone Marrow Transplantation: Potential Role of IRAK-M." Presented at American Thoracic Society Conference, San Francisco. (May 2007)

"The Role of Cyclic AMP Compartmentalization in Mediating PGE2 Signaling in Alveolar Macrophages." Presented at Keystone Symposium: Complex Lipids in Biology, Lake Tahoe. (April 2009)

"The Role of Cyclic AMP Compartmentalization in Mediating PGE2 Signaling in Alveolar Macrophages." Presented at American Thoracic Society Conference, San Diego. (May 2009)

"Prostaglandin E2 Mediates Impaired Host Defense Functions in Alveolar Macrophages from Young Rats." Presented at American Thoracic Society Conferences, San Diego. (May 2009)

"The Role of IRAK-M in Mediating Acute Lung Injury." Presented at American Thoracic Society Conference, New Orleans. (May 2010)

"The Role of an Important Negative Regulator of Toll-like Receptor Signaling, IRAK-M, in Mediating." Presented at American Thoracic Society International Meeting, (May 2011)

"The TLR Signaling Inhibitor IRAK-M Potentiates Bleomycin-Induced Lung Injury and Fibrosis." Presented at American Thoracic Society Conference, San Francisco. (May 2012)

"The Role of TLR Signaling Inhibitor IRAK-M Potentiates Bleomycin-Induced Lung Injury by Regulating the Production of the Profibrotic Cytokine IL-13," American Thoracic Society Conference, San Diego. (May 2014)

"The TLR Signaling Inhibitor, IRAK-M Promotes Alternative Macrophage Activation and Fibroproliferation in Bleomycin-Induced Lung Injury," International Colloquium of Lung and Airway Fibrosis, Mont Tremblant, QC. (Sept. 2014)

“The Role of Type 2 Innate Lymphoid Cells in Regulating Macrophage Activation in Bleomycin-Induced Pulmonary Fibrosis,” American Thoracic Society, Denver. (May 2015)

“The Role of TLR Signaling in Regulating Collagen Uptake in the Setting of Pulmonary Fibrosis,” International Colloquium of Lung and Airway Fibrosis, Dublin. (Sept. 2016)

“The Role of TLR Signaling in Regulating Macrophage Recruitment and Activation During Bleomycin-Induced Pulmonary Fibrosis," American Thoracic Society, Washington, DC. (May 2017)

“The Role of TLR Signaling in Regulating Monocyte Recruitment into the Lungs Following Bleomycin-Induced Pulmonary Fibrosis,” Gordon Research Conference: Lung Injury and Repair, New London, NH. (Aug. 2017)

“Macrophage Regulation of Collagen and α-Smooth Muscle Actin in Fibroblasts,” American Thoracic Society, San Diego. (May 2018)

“The Role of TLR Signaling in Regulating Collagen Degradation by Macrophages in Pulmonary Fibrosis,” American Thoracic Society, San Diego. (May 2018)

“The Role of IRAK-M in Regulating Monocyte Trafficking to the Lung Following Bleomycin Challenge,” International Colloquium of Lung and Airway Fibrosis, Monterey, CA. (Oct. 2018)

Associate Professor, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine