Kat Milligan-McClellan

Assistant Professor

Molecular and Cell Biology / Microbiology

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Education:
Postdoctoral Fellow, Host Microbe Interactions, University of Oregon; Ph.D. Microbiology, University of Wisconsin; Bachelor’s Degree Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin

Research Interests: Our lab focuses on how host genetic background contributes to the balance between the immune response to microbiota in the gut and intestinal microbial membership. Given that gut microbiota protect the host against pathogens, we are also interested in determining how host genetic background induces or suppresses inflammation in the gut, and how those changes result in differential susceptibility to pathogens due to, or concurrent with, changes in microbiota membership.

Selected Publications:

Vieira Da Silva, C., Arsenault, D., Kramer-Earley, R., Robinson, V.L., Milligan-McClellan, K., Graf, J. 2025. Identification and characterization of the surface layer protein AvsA in outer membrane vesicles, antibiotic resistance, and in vivo host colonization in Aeromonas veronii. BioRxiv. doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.04.15.648961

Sarah M. Pasqualetti , Jolie Atwood, Abiodun Aderibigbe , Edward Russell , Kayleigh O’Keefe, Victoria Rosario, Kelly Ireland , Kenneth Sparks, Koral Campbell , Ruth Y Isenberg , Ryan Lucas, Priyal Dhage, and Kathryn Milligan-McClellan. 2025. Cold-water gut isolate from threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) reveals polypropylene surface oxidation and co-culture inhibition. BioRxiv. doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.10.22.682630

Sihan Bu, Sania Chaudhary, Rebecca Kramer-Earley, Kelly Ireland, Jolie Atwood, Daniel I Bolnick, Andrew P Hendry, Catherine L Peichel, Natalie C Steinel, Jesse N Weber, Grant E Haines, Alison M Derry, Kathryn Milligan-McClellan. (2025) Lake size shapes the relationship between body mass and gut microbiota in threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus). BioRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.12.01.691584

Hendry AP, Barrett RDH, Bell AM, Bell MA, Bolnick DI, Gotanda KM, Haines GE, Lind ÅJ, Paccard M, Peichel CL, Peterson CR, Poore HA, Massengill RL, Milligan-McClellan K, Steinel NC, Sanderson S, Walsh MR, Weber JN, Derry AM. Designing eco-evolutionary experiments for restoration projects: Opportunities and constraints revealed during stickleback introductions. Ecol Evol. 2024 Jun 25;14(6):e11503. doi: 10.1002/ece3.11503. PMID: 38932947; PMCID: PMC11199335.

Milligan-McClellan, K., Simmons, K., Fremland, J., Goeman, M., Grande, S. 2025. Weeding Whitestream Feminism: Indigenous Feminist Gardening. Educational Theory. Accepted for publication

McAllister, T. G., Walker, L. A., Smiles, N. D., Jennings, L., Moggridge, B., Naepi, S., Kamai, B., & Milligan-McClellan, K. 2025. Decolonize scientific institutions, don’t just diversify them. Nature, 644(8076), 331-334. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-02516-8

Crowther TW, Rappuoli R, Corinaldesi C, Danovaro R, Donohue TJ, Huisman J, Stein LY, Timmis JK, Timmis K, Anderson MZ, Bakken LR, Baylis M, Behrenfeld MJ, Boyd PW, Brettell I, Cavicchioli R, Delavaux CS, Foreman CM, Jansson JK, Koskella B, Milligan-McClellan K, North JA, Peterson D, Pizza M, Ramos JL, Reay D, Remais JV, Rich VI, Ripple WJ, Singh BK, Smith GR, Stewart FJ, Sullivan MB, van den Hoogen J, van Oppen MJH, Webster NS, Zohner CM, van Galen LG. Scientists’ call to action: Microbes, planetary health, and the Sustainable Development Goals. Cell. 2024 Sep 19;187(19):5195-5216. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.07.051. PMID: 39303686

Milligan-McClellan KCA. Teaching the way I wish I was taught: Design and implementation of a class on historically excluded and underrepresented scientists. J Cell Physiol. 2024 Jun 28. doi: 10.1002/jcp.31352. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38940061.

Rodgers, M.L., Subramanian, S., Fuess, L.E., He, W., Scarpino, S.V., Roth-Monzon, A., Jeffries, D., Seignon, M., Milligan-McClellan, K., Carrier, R. and Steinel, N.C., 2024. Rates of evolution differ between cell types identified by single-cell RNAseq in threespine stickleback. bioRxiv, doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.12.06.627160

Bolnick DI, Barrett RDH, Choi E, Eckert L, Hendry AP, Kerns EV, Lind ÅJ, Milligan-McClellan K, Peichel CL, Sasser K, Thornton AR, Wolf C, Steinel NC, Weber JN. 2024. Destabilized host-parasite dynamics in newly founded populations. bioRxiv. 2024 Jun 27:2024.06.24.600494. doi: 10.1101/2024.06.24.600494. PMID: 38979317; PMCID: PMC11230150.

Pedersen, M., Grant, A.D.R., Harrington, J., Belcourt, A., Thomas, A., Hoagland, S., Lewis, J.P., Plenty Sweetgrass-She Kills, R., Conroy-Ben, O., Brodt, E., Chief, K., Johnson-Jennings, M., Mink, K.G., Milligan-McClellan, K., Calhous, M., Ozburn, A., Simonds, V., Chase, S., Tsosie, R., Wu, K., and Brown, B. 2024. Codeveloping and implementing an Indigenous mentoring program for Native American faculty in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education.

Special Series editor: Advancing Social Equity Through Microbiology. Ed: Hagan AK, Kozik A, Milligan-McClellan K, Oliveira LMA. 2023, Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology.

Oliveira LMA, Kozik A, Milligan-McClellan K, Hagan AK. Editorial: Advancing social equity through microbiology. Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2023 Aug 2;13:1260284. doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2023.1260284. PMID: 37600937; PMCID: PMC10434235. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cellular-and-infection-microbiology/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2023.1260284/full

Milligan-McClellan KC, Dundore-Arias JP, Klassen JL, Shade A, Kinkel LL, Wolfe BE. Deciphering the Microbiome: Integrating Theory, New Technologies, and Inclusive Science. mSystems. 2022 Oct 26;7(5):e0058322. doi: 10.1128/msystems.00583-22. Epub 2022 Sep 8. PMID: 36073805; PMCID: PMC9600927. https://doi.org/10.1128/msystems.00583-22

Brown, B., Pedersen, M., Harrington, J., Belcourt, A., Windchief, S., Thomas, A., Plenty Sweetgrass-She Kills, R., Conroy-Ben, O., Brodt, E., Chief, K. Hoagland, S., Johnson-Jenning, M., Jordon, L., Green Mink, K., Milligan-Myhre, K., Calhoun, M., Ozburn, A., Simonds, V., DeRosier Grant, A., Hill, S., Wu, K. 2022. Exploring personal, relational, and collective experiences and mentorship connections that enhance or inhibit professional development and career advancement of native American faculty in STEM fields: A qualitative study. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education. https://doi.org/10.1037/dhe0000376

Nouri, A., Rodgers, M. L., Bolnick, D. L., Carrier, R., Milligan-Myhre, K., Scarpino, S., & Steinel, N. C. (2022). Microfluidic gut-on chip system for reproducing the microbiome-immune cells interaction in Threespine Stickleback. The Journal of Immunology, 208(Supplement_1), 116-05. https://doi.org/10.4049/jimmunol.208.Supp.116.05

Milligan-McClellan KC, Dundore-Arias JP, Klassen JL, Shade A, Kinkel LL, and Wolfe BE. Deciphering the Microbiome: Integrating Theory, New Technologies, and Inclusive Science. 2022 mSystems https://doi.org/10.1128/msystems.00583-22

Special Series editor: Deciphering the Microbiome: Integrating Theory, New Technologies, and Inclusive Science. Ed: Dundore-Arias JP, Kinkel LL, Klassen JL, Milligan-McClellan KC, Shade A, Wolfe BE. 2022, mSystems.

Fulcher MR, Bolton ML, Millican MD, Michalska-Smith MJ, Dundore-Arias JP, Handelsman J, Klassen JL, Milligan-Myhre KC, Shade A, Wolfe BE, Kinkel LL. Broadening Participation in Scientific Conferences during the Era of Social Distancing. Trends Microbiol. 2020 Dec;28(12):949-952. doi: 10.1016/j.tim.2020.08.004. Epub 2020 Sep 22. PMID: 32978058; PMCID: PMC7507981. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tim.2020.08.004.

Ireland, K. S., & Milligan-Myhre, K. 2021. Effects of crude oil on juvenile threespine stickleback somatic and immune development. bioRxiv, 2021-11. https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.11.17.469020

Marriott LK, Link AR, Anitori R, Blackwell E, Blas A, Brock J, Burke T, Burrows JA, Cabrera AP, Helsham D, Liban LB, Mackiewicz MR, Maruyama M, Milligan-Myhre KCA, Pangelinan PJC, Hattori-Uchima M, Reed R, Simon BE, Solomon B, Trinidad AMO, Wyatt LR, Covarrubia AD, Zell A, Keller TE, Morris C, Crespo CJ. Supporting Biomedical Research Training for Historically Underrepresented Undergraduates Using Interprofessional, Nonformal Education Structures. J Scholarsh Teach Learn. 2021 May 3;21(1):241-286. doi: 10.14434/josotl.v21i1.30430. PMID: 35992735; PMCID: PMC9390072. https://scholarworks.iu.edu/journals/index.php/josotl/article/view/30430

Michael R.Fulcher, Marian L.Bolton, Michael D.Millican, José PabloDundore-Arias, JoHandelsman, Jonathan L.Klassen, Kathryn C.Milligan-Myhre, Benjamin E.Wolfe, Linda L.Kinkel, Broadening Participation in Scientific Conferences during the Era of Social Distancing, Trends in Microbiology, September 2020, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tim.2020.08.004

Kirschman LJ, Khadjinova A, Ireland K, Milligan-Myhre KC. Early life disruption of the microbiota affects organ development and cytokine gene expression in threespine stickleback. Integr Comp Biol. 2020 Sep 24;63(1):250–62. doi: 10.1093/icb/icaa136. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 32970813; PMCID: PMC10388389. https://academic.oup.com/icb/advance-article/doi/10.1093/icb/icaa136/5911110 

Milligan-Myhre, K. C. A. (2020, March). Using an evolutionary model organism to reveal host genetic influence on host-microbe interactions. In INTEGRATIVE AND COMPARATIVE BIOLOGY (Vol. 60, pp. E162-E162). OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC.

Milligan-Myhre, K.C., (2019) mSphere of Influence: an Inupiat Journey in Science. mSphere. Sept 2019. 4(5) e00595-19. https://doi.org/10.1128/mSphere.00595-19.

Kirschman, L.J., Milligan-Myhre, K.C. (2018) The costs of living together: Immune responses to the microbiota and chronic gut inflammation. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Sept 2018. DOI: 10.1128/AEM.02147-18

Burns, A., Miller, E., Agarwal, M., Rolig, A.S., Milligan-Myhre, K., Seredick, S., Guillemin, K.J., Bohannan, B.J.M. (2017) Inter-host dispersal alters microbiome assembly and can overwhelm host innate immunity in an experimental zebrafish model. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Oct 17, 2017. 114 (42) 11181-11186. doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1702511114

Torunn F., Milligan-Myhre, K. (2017) “Gnotobiotic Fish as Models to Study Host-Microbe Interactions.” Gnotobiotics. Ed.Trenton R. Schoeb, Kathryn A. Eaton. Academic Press, Aug 11, 2017. Pages 369-383. DOI: 10.1016/B978-0-12-804561-9.00006-2

Lescak EA, Milligan-Myhre KC. (2017) Teleosts as Model Organisms To Understand Host-Microbe Interactions. J Bacteriol. Jul 11;199(15). pii: e00868-16. doi: 10.1128/JB.00868-16.

Small C.M., Milligan-Myhre, K., Bassham,S., Guillemin,K., Cresko, W.A. (2017) Host Genotype and Microbiota Contribute Asymmetrically to Transcriptional Variation in the Threespine Stickleback Gut. Genome Biol Evol. 2017 Mar 1;9(3):504-520. doi: 10.1093/gbe/evx014.

Milligan-Myhre, K., Small, C.M., Mittge, E.K., Currey, M., Agarwal, M., Cresko, W.A., Guillemin, K. (2016) Innate immune responses to gut microbiota differ in closely related threespine stickleback fish populations. Disease Models and Mechanisms. 9: 187-198; doi: 10.1242/dmm.021881.

Stagaman, K., Guillemin, K., Milligan-Myhre, K. (2014) Tending a complex microbiota requires major immune complexity. Molecular Ecology. (19), 4679-81. PMID: 2263404

Milligan-Myhre, K., Charette, J. R., Phennicie, R. T., Stephens, W. Z., Rawls, J. F., Guillemin, K. and Kim, C. H. (2011). Study of Host-Microbe Interactions in Zebrafish. In Methods in Cell Biology (The Zebrafish: Disease Models and Chemical Screens 3rd Edition), Elsevier. 105, 87-116. PMID: 21951527