Michael T. Kinter, Ph.D.

Free radicals are formed when the body uses oxygen to make energy, to process foreign particles, like drugs, even when we encounter sunlight or radiation. Sometimes, when free radicals react with the body’s tissues, damage can occur, leading to heart disease, cancer and many conditions associated with aging.

In my lab, we study the damage that happens when free radicals interact with cells and try to observe how cells protect themselves or change themselves in the process. We have learned that sometimes the body’s reaction to the free radicals, rather than the free radicals themselves, can cause the most damage.

Some cells have the ability to adjust to free radical damage and function normally, or even benefit from the interaction. Other cells see little or no damage from free radicals, while some simply shut down or die.

In heart disease, certain white blood cells often react to free radicals by transforming themselves into “foam” cells. Those cells can lead to atherosclerosis, an inflammatory disease that clogs blood vessels and causes heart disease.

Our goal is to understand these changes so we can use them to our benefit. By identifying the triggers that can either increase good cell responses or decrease bad ones, we may learn ways to prevent many kinds of human disease.

There are two primary activities in my laboratory: characterizing changes in protein expression in hearts and mitochondria from mice that are consuming a high-fat diet and characterizing the sites and chemical structure of oxidant-damaged proteins. A unique aspect of my experiments is the use of mass spectrometry to sequence and characterize proteins. These types of experiments are broadly referred to a proteomics.

In the first area of investigation, we use a proteomic approach – gel electrophoresis and quantitative mass spectrometry – to identify proteins that are differentially expressed in the heart and mitochondria. The general hypothesis being tested in this work is that the high fat diet produces a chronic oxidative stress that alters heart and mitochondrial function through changes in protein expression. Our goal is to discover previously unidentified or unstudied proteins that help drive the progression of the diet-induced heart failure.

In the second area of investigation, we use tandem mass spectrometry to characterize the site and structure of oxidative modifications to proteins. One theory of how oxidative stress affects cells is that key proteins become modified in a manner that alters their function. Our goal is to trace the specific structures that are characterized to new information about the oxidation reactions leading to those modifications and the link between those modifications and cell/tissue damage.

Education
B.S. Chemistry, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA, 1982
Ph.D. Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 1986
Postdoc, Clinical Chemistry, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, 1986-1988

Memberships
American Society for Mass Spectrometry
American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Society for Free Radical Biology and Medicine

Joined OMRF scientific staff in 2008

View more publications

Recent Publications

Das S, Varshney R, Farriester JW, Kyere-Davies G, Martinez AE, Hill K, Kinter M, Mullen GP, Nagareddy PR, Rudolph MC. NR2F2 Reactivation in Early-life Adipocyte Stem-like Cells Rescues Adipocyte Mitochondrial Oxidation. bioRxiv, 2024 September, PMID: 39314382, PMCID: PMC11419096

Sok SPM, Pipkin K, Popescu NI, Reidy M, Li B, Van Remmen H, Kinter M, Sun XH, Fan Z, Zhao M. Gpx4 Regulates Invariant NKT Cell Homeostasis and Function by Preventing Lipid Peroxidation and Ferroptosis. J Immunol, 2024 August, PMID: 39158281, PMCID: PMC11408103

Tandon I, Woessner A, Ferreira LA, Shamblin C, Vaca-Diez G, Walls A, Kuczwara P, Applequist A, Nascimento DF, Tandon S, Kim JW, Rausch M, Timek T, Padala M, Kinter MT, Province D, Byrum SD, Quinn KP, Balachandran K. A Three-Dimensional Valve-on-Chip Microphysiological System Implicates Cell Cycle Progression, Cholesterol Metabolism and Protein Homeostasis in Early Calcific Aortic Valve Disease Progression. Acta Biomater, 2024 July, PMID: 39084496

Selected Publications

Fu Y, Kinter M, Hudson J, Humphries KM, Lane RS, White JR, Hakim M, Pan Y, Verdin E, Griffin TM. Aging Promotes SIRT3-dependent Cartilage SOD2 Acetylation and Osteoarthritis. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2016 Aug;68(8):1887-98. PMID: 26866626 PMCID: PMC5331855

Walsh ME, Bhattacharya A, Sataranatarajan K, Qaisar R, Sloane L, Rahman MM, Kinter M, Van Remmen H. The histone deacetylase inhibitor butyrate improves metabolism and reduces muscle atrophy during aging. Aging Cell 2015 Dec; 14(6): 957–970. PMID: 26290460 PMCID: PMC4693467

Fernandes J, Weddle A, Kinter CS, Humphries KM, Mather T, Szweda LI, Kinter M. Lysine acetylation activates mitochondrial aconitase in the heart. Biochemistry 2015 Jun 30;54(25):4008-18. PMID: 26061789  PMCID: PMC4513942

Kinter CS, Lundie JM, Patel H, Rindler PM, Szweda LI, Kinter M. A Quantitative proteomic profile of the Nrf2-mediated antioxidant response of macrophages to oxidized LDL determined by multiplexed selected reaction monitoring. PLoS One 7:e50016, 2012. PMID: 23166812 PMCID: PMC3500347

Rindler PM, Plafker SM, Szweda LI, Kinter M. High dietary fat selectively increases catalase expression within cardiac mitochondria. J Biol Chem 288:1979-1990, 2013. PMID: 23204527 PMCID: PMC3548505

Conway JP, Kinter M. Proteomic and transcriptomic analyses of macrophages with an increased resistance to oxidized low density lipoprotein (oxLDL)-induced cytotoxicity generated by chronic exposure to oxLDL. Mol Cell Proteomics 4:1522-1540, 2005. PMID: 16006650

Aging & Metabolism Research Program, MS 46
Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation
825 N.E. 13th Street
Oklahoma City, OK 73104

Phone: (405) 271-7572
Fax: (405) 271-1437
E-mail: Mike-Kinter@omrf.org

For media inquiries, please contact OMRF’s Office of Public Affairs at news@omrf.org.

Caroline Kinter
Research Assistant IV

Brooke Loveland
Research Technician

Holly Smith
Administrative Assistant III

News from the Kinter lab

OMRF scientists reveal diabetic heart clues

January 27, 2020

Heart Disease is the number one cause of death in diabetic patients.

Dietary carbohydrates could lead to osteoarthritis, new study finds

August 9, 2018

Do your knees ache? Your diet could be a culprit.

OMRF hosts 2018 Loyal Donors reception

May 15, 2018

OMRF officials brought more than 110 long-time donors together from across the state to celebrate their dedicated supporters at the annual Loyal Donor Society reception.

OMRF discovers new approach to treating obesity

April 4, 2018

The findings could potentially lead to new drugs to help weight loss or combat obesity and associated metabolic disorders.

OMRF finds new clues to why diabetes harms the heart

March 8, 2018

The findings could lead to new treatments to limit the damaging cardiac effects of diabetes.

OMRF research shows how exercise can benefit cartilage

October 19, 2017

Osteoarthritis is the most common form of disability in the U.S., affecting nearly 31 million Americans.

OMRF scientists find a way to heal the heart

October 31, 2016

The findings could lead to new ways to treat patients following a heart attack.

Joint $3.8 million grant to create aging research center

October 13, 2015

OMRF, OU and VA collaborate to combat diseases associated with aging.

Teaching the heart to grow again

June 6, 2014

Researchers want to regrow heart tissue without scarring.

New fat research provides insight into diabetes origins

February 26, 2013

The discovery could lead to better understanding of insulin resistance.

Research provides new clues to battling bad cholesterol

January 17, 2013

Stopping formation of “foam cells” could stop atherosclerosis.

OMRF receives $1.57 million to investigate retinal degeneration

August 22, 2011

Scientists will study an enzyme that might slow or stop the eye disease.

Next generation of OMRF scientists brings major grants and innovation

July 6, 2010

Eight new scientists have secured $11.57 million in grants so far.

Record storm nearly claims unexpected victim—OMRF experiments

June 15, 2010

Torrential rains flood transformer, threaten stored biological samples.

The Next Generation OMRF adds new scientists to spur growth, discovery

October 6, 2008

A new wave of researchers has joined the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation’s scientific staff as part of the foundation’s expansion. OMRF has added seven new scientists to its staff. In addition, two research assistants have been promoted to faculty-level positions. The new researchers have come to OMRF from a variety of institutions across the U.S. […]