Julie Ledford

I am an Associate Professor with tenure in the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine at the University of Arizona. I am also an active member of the Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center and the BIO5 Institute and have faculty appointments in the Graduate Interdisciplinary Program in the Physiological Sciences and in the Allergy and Immunology Fellowship Training program. I serve as co-director of the Lung Research Focus group (RGF2) within the Southwest Environmental Health Sciences Center. I have over a decade’s worth of experience mentoring and training medical students, graduate students, postdocs and fellows. In addition, I participate as a faculty member and served on the curriculum committee for the Eureka Institute Virtual School, an international certificate program in translational research, and I serve as the leader for the University of Arizona College of Medicine hub. My own translational research investigates obstructive lung disease and dysfunction of innate immunity in Asthma and respiratory infections.  I have led pulmonary function tests with collaborators for the past 10 years and have a strong history of collaborations in the fields of respiratory diseases, lung function and asthma.

Research Interests: 

Our current work involves studies of pulmonary surfactant protein-A (SP-A), surfactant lipids, and club cell secretory protein (CC16) and how they participate in pulmonary diseases and immune system regulation. With a special emphasis on lung infections and asthma, we use a combination of animal modeling and human cells to better understand the roles of these endogenous lung proteins to overall host defense and lung homeostasis.

Bibliography

2023

• Voraphani, N., D. A. Stern, J. G. Ledford, A. L. Spangenberg, J. Zhai, A. L. Wright, W. J. Morgan, M. Kraft, D. L. Sherrill, J. A. Curtin, et al., "Circulating CC16 and Asthma: A Population-Based, Multi-Cohort Study from Early Childhood Through Adult Life.", Am J Respir Crit Care Med, 2023 Jul 31. PMID: 37523710
• Iannuzo, N., A. Blythe C. Dy, S. Guerra, P. R. Langlais, and J. G. Ledford, "The Impact of CC16 on Pulmonary Epithelial-Driven Host Responses during Infection in Mouse Tracheal Epithelial Cells.", Cells, vol. 12, issue 15, 2023 Aug 01. PMCID: PMC10416898  PMID: 37566063
• Tanyaratsrisakul, S., A. Blythe C. Dy, F. Polverino, M. Numata, and J. G. Ledford, "Myeloid-associated differentiation marker is associated with type 2 asthma and is upregulated by human rhinovirus infection.", Front Immunol, vol. 14, pp. 1237683, 2023. PMCID: PMC10450947  PMID: 37638015
• Pederson, W. P., L. M. Ellerman, Y. Jin, H. Gu, and J. G. Ledford, "Metabolomic Profiling in Mouse Model of Menopause-Associated Asthma.", Metabolites, vol. 13, issue 4, 2023 Apr 11. PMCID: PMC10145474  PMID: 37110204

2022

• Guerra, S., J. G. Ledford, E. Melén, I. Lavi, A-E. Carsin, D. A. Stern, J. Zhai, M. Vidal, M. Bustamante, K. J. Addison, et al., "Creatine Kinase is Decreased in Childhood Asthma.", Am J Respir Crit Care Med, 2022 Jul 23. PMID: 35876143
• Schiff, H. V., C. M. Rivas, W. P. Pederson, E. Sandoval, S. Gillman, J. Prisco, M. Kume, G. Dussor, J. Vagner, J. G. Ledford, et al., "β-arrestin-biased proteinase-activated receptor-2 antagonist C781 limits allergen-induced airway hyperresponsiveness and inflammation.", Br J Pharmacol, 2022 Jun 23. PMID: 35735078
• Francisco, D., Y. Wang, C. Marshall, M. Conway, K. J. Addison, D. Billheimer, H. Kimura, M. Numata, H. W. Chu, D. R. Voelker, et al., "Small Peptide Derivatives Within the Carbohydrate Recognition Domain of SP-A2 Modulate Asthma Outcomes in Mouse Models and Human Cells.", Front Immunol, vol. 13, pp. 900022, 2022. PMCID: PMC9304716  PMID: 35874703
• Li, X., S. Guerra, J. G. Ledford, M. Kraft, H. Li, A. T. Hastie, M. Castro, L. C. Denlinger, S. C. Erzurum, J. V. Fahy, et al., "Low CC16 mRNA Expression Levels in Bronchial Epithelial Cells Are Associated with Asthma Severity.", Am J Respir Crit Care Med, 2022 Sep 06. PMID: 36066606
• Pederson, W. P., L. M. Ellerman, E. C. Sandoval, S. Boitano, J. B. Frye, K. P. Doyle, H. L. Brooks, F. Polverino, and J. G. Ledford, "Development of a Novel Mouse Model of Menopause-associated Asthma.", Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol, vol. 67, issue 5, pp. 605-609, 2022 Nov. PMID: 36318015

2021

• Tomchaney, M., M. Contoli, J. Mayo, S. Baraldo, S. Li, C. R. Cabel, D. A. Bull, S. Lick, J. Malo, S. Knoper, et al., "Paradoxical effects of cigarette smoke and COPD on SARS-CoV-2 infection and disease.", BMC Pulm Med, vol. 21, issue 1, pp. 275, 2021 Aug 23. PMCID: PMC8381712  PMID: 34425811
• Collins, K. L., U. S. Younis, S. Tanyaratsrisakul, R. Polt, M. Hay, H. M. Mansour, and J. G. Ledford, "Angiotensin-(1-7) Peptide Hormone Reduces Inflammation and Pathogen Burden during Infection in Mice.", Pharmaceutics, vol. 13, issue 10, 2021 Oct 04. PMCID: PMC8539524  PMID: 34683907
• Iannuzo, N., M. Insel, C. Marshall, W. P. Pederson, K. J. Addison, F. Polverino, S. Guerra, and J. G. Ledford, "CC16 deficiency in the context of early life infection results in augmented airway responses in adult mice.", Infect Immun, pp. IAI0054821, 2021 Nov 15. PMID: 34780280
• Rivas, C. M., M. C. Yee, K. J. Addison, M. Lovett, K. Pal, J. G. Ledford, G. Dussor, T. J. Price, J. Vagner, K. A. DeFea, et al., "Novel proteinase-activated receptor-2 (PAR2) antagonist C391 inhibits Alternaria-induced human airway epithelial signaling in vitro and asthma indicators in acute exposure murine models.", Br J Pharmacol, 2021 Nov 28. PMID: 34841515
• Dy, A. Blythe C., P. R. Langlais, N. K. Barker, K. J. Addison, S. Tanyaratsrisakul, S. Boitano, S. A. Christenson, M. Kraft, D. Meyers, E. R. Bleecker, et al., "Myeloid-associated differentiation marker is a novel SP-A-associated transmembrane protein whose expression on airway epithelial cells correlates with asthma severity.", Sci Rep, vol. 11, issue 1, pp. 23392, 2021 Dec 03. PMID: 34862427
• Pederson, W. P., J. M. Cyphert-Daly, R. M. Tighe, L. G. Que, and J. G. Ledford, "Genetic variation in surfactant protein-A2 alters responses to ozone.", PLoS One, vol. 16, issue 2, pp. e0247504, 2021. PMCID: PMC7899376  PMID: 33617569
• Polverino, F., T. David Wu, J. Rojas-Quintero, X. Wang, J. Mayo, M. Tomchaney, J. Tram, S. Packard, D. Zhang, K. H. Cleveland, et al., "Metformin: Experimental and Clinical Evidence for a Potential Role in Emphysema Treatment.", Am J Respir Crit Care Med, 2021 May 25. PMID: 34033525
• Eedara, B. Babu, W. Alabsi, D. Encinas-Basurto, R. Polt, J. G. Ledford, and H. M. Mansour, "Inhalation Delivery for the Treatment and Prevention of COVID-19 Infection.", Pharmaceutics, vol. 13, issue 7, 2021 Jul 14. PMCID: PMC8308954  PMID: 34371768

2020

• Muralidharan, P., E. K. Mallory, M. Malapit, H. Phan, J. G. Ledford, D. Hayes, and H. M. Mansour, "Advanced design and development of nanoparticle/microparticle dual-drug combination lactose carrier-free dry powder inhalation aerosols.", RSC Adv, vol. 10, issue 68, pp. 41846-41856, 2020 Nov 17. PMCID: PMC7689944  PMID: 33391731
• Younis, U. S., H. Wei Chu, M. Kraft, and J. G. Ledford, "A 20-Mer Peptide Derived from the Lectin Domain of Decreases Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha Production during Mycoplasma pneumoniae Infection.", Infect Immun, vol. 88, issue 9, 2020 08 19. PMCID: PMC7440763  PMID: 32513852
• Johnson, M. D., U. S. Younis, S. V. Menghani, K. J. Addison, M. Whalen, A. L. Pilon, A. E. Cress, F. Polverino, C. Romanoski, M. Kraft, et al., "CC16 Binding to α4β1 Integrin (VLA-4) Protects Against Infection.", Am J Respir Crit Care Med, 2020 Dec 16. PMID: 33326355
• Dy, A. B. C., and J. G. Ledford, "IL-13Rα2 Glycosylation Holds the Dance Card for Partnering with IL-13.", Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol, vol. 63, issue 3, pp. 277-278, 2020 09. PMCID: PMC7462345  PMID: 32459972
• Francisco, D., Y. Wang, M. Conway, A. N. Hurbon, A. B. C. Dy, K. J. Addison, H. W. Chu, D. R. Voelker, J. G. Ledford, and M. Kraft, "Surfactant Protein-A Protects against IL-13-Induced Inflammation in Asthma.", J Immunol, vol. 204, issue 10, pp. 2829-2839, 2020 05 15. PMCID: PMC7304346  PMID: 32245819
• Dakhama, A., R. Al Mubarak, N. Pavelka, D. Voelker, M. Seibold, J. G. Ledford, M. Kraft, L. Li, and H. Wei Chu, "Tollip Inhibits ST2 Signaling in Airway Epithelial Cells Exposed to Type 2 Cytokines and Rhinovirus.", J Innate Immun, vol. 12, issue 1, pp. 103-115, 2020. PMCID: PMC6959119  PMID: 30928973

2019

• Zhai, J., M. Insel, K. J. Addison, D. A. Stern, W. Pederson, A. Dy, J. Rojas-Quintero, C. A. Owen, D. L. Sherrill, W. Morgan, et al., "Club Cell Secretory Protein Deficiency Leads to Altered Lung Function.", Am J Respir Crit Care Med, vol. 199, issue 3, pp. 302-312, 2019 02 01. PMCID: PMC6363971  PMID: 30543455
• Younis, U. S., E. Vallorz, K. J. Addison, J. G. Ledford, and P. B. Myrdal, "Preformulation and Evaluation of Tofacitinib as a Therapeutic Treatment for Asthma.", AAPS PharmSciTech, vol. 20, issue 5, pp. 167, 2019 Apr 16. PMCID: PMC6818719  PMID: 30993508
• Dy, A. Blythe C., M. Z. Arif, K. J. Addison, L. G. Que, S. Boitano, M. Kraft, and J. G. Ledford, "Genetic Variation in Surfactant Protein-A2 Delays Resolution of Eosinophilia in Asthma.", J Immunol, vol. 203, issue 5, pp. 1122-1130, 2019 09 01. PMCID: PMC6702058  PMID: 31350355
• Sandalova, E., J. G. Ledford, M. Baskaran, and S. Dijkstra, "Translational Medicine in the Era of Social Media: A Survey of Scientific and Clinical Communities.", Front Med (Lausanne), vol. 6, pp. 152, 2019. PMCID: PMC6616126  PMID: 31334236

2018

• Dy, A. Blythe C., S. Tanyaratsrisakul, D. R. Voelker, and J. G. Ledford, "The Emerging Roles of Surfactant Protein-A in Asthma.", J Clin Cell Immunol, vol. 9, issue 4, 2018. PMCID: PMC6092951  PMID: 30123671
• Dijkstra, S., G. Kok, J. G. Ledford, E. Sandalova, and R. Stevelink, "Possibilities and Pitfalls of Social Media for Translational Medicine.", Front Med (Lausanne), vol. 5, pp. 345, 2018. PMCID: PMC6291449  PMID: 30574495
• Lugogo, N., D. Francisco, K. J. Addison, A. Manne, W. Pederson, J. L. Ingram, C. L. Green, B. T. Suratt, J. J. Lee, M. E. Sunday, et al., "Obese asthmatic patients have decreased surfactant protein A levels: Mechanisms and implications.", J Allergy Clin Immunol, vol. 141, issue 3, pp. 918-926.e3, 2018 03. PMCID: PMC5732097  PMID: 28624607

Ledford Lab Website