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Zimmerman Research Lab

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Kurt Zimmerman
B.S. University of Wisconsin- Eau Claire
Ph.D. University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB)


Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Nephrology
Biomedical Science Building
940 Stanton L Young Blvd, Room 513
Oklahoma City, Ok 73104
Email: kurt-zimmerman@ouhsc.edu
Phone: 405-271-8001 Ext 51033

The Zimmerman lab in the Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Nephrology at OUHSC studies how immune cells influence the development and progression of cystic kidney diseases. Our lab was the first to identify the importance of kidney resident macrophages (KRM) in injury induced cystic kidney disease. We went on to show that a similar population of KRM is present in other species using single cell RNA sequencing. As part of these studies, we identified novel markers of KRM that were capable of identifying KRM in mouse, rat, pig, and human kidney tissues.  The current projects in our lab build on these previous studies using state of the art technology including CRISP-Cas9 generated mouse models, flow cytometry, confocal microscopy, and single cell RNA sequencing.

The first project is focused on understanding how T cells influence injury induced cystic kidney disease. This includes the identification of T cell subsets, their localization, and potential function during the initiation and progression of cystic disease. The overall goal of this project is to identify pathogenic and protective T cell populations so that we can target these populations for treatment in patients with cystic disease.

The second major project is focused on understanding the ontological origin of KRM. This includes identification of KRM precursor cells and factors that control the seeding, differentiation, and development of KRM precursors in homeostasis and cystic kidney disease. The overall goal of this project is to leverage our understanding of KRM origin and functions to treat cystic kidney disease patients.

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Selected Publications

  1. Li, Z., Zimmerman, K.A., Cherakara, S., Chumley, P., Collawn, J.F., Wang, J., Haycraft, C.J., Song, C.J., Chacana, T., Anderson, R.S., Croyle, M.J., Aloria, E.J., Hombal, R.P., Thomas, I.N., Chweih, H., Simanyi, K.L., George, J.F., Parant, J.M., Mrug, M., Yoder, B.K. 2023. CD206+ resident macrophages are a candidate biomarker for renal cystic disease in preclinical models and patients with ADPKD. Dis Model Mech. 16(1):dmm049810. PMID: 36457161
  2. Yashchenko, A.#, Bland, S.J.#, Song, C. J., Ahmed, U.K.B., Sharp, R., Darby, I.G., Cordova, A.M., Smith, M.E., Lever, J.M., Li, Z., Aloria, E.J., Khan, S., Maryam, B., Liu, S., Crowley, M.R., Jones, K.L., Zenewicz, L.A., George, J.F., Mrug, M., Crossman, D.K., Hopp, K., Stavrakis, S., Humphrey, M.B., Ginhoux, F., Zimmerman, K.A.* 2023. Cx3cr1 controls kidney resident macrophage heterogeneity. Frontiers in Immunology. 14:1082078. PMID: 37256130
  3. Kleczko, E.K., Nguyen, D.T., Marsh, K.H., Bauer, C.D., Li, A.S., Monaghan, M.T., Berger, M.D., Furgeson, S.B., Gitomer, B.Y., Chonchol, M.B., Clambey, E.T., Zimmerman, K.A., Nemenoff, R.A., Hopp, K. 2023. Immune checkpoint activity regulates polycystic kidney disease progression. JCI Insight. 8(12):e161318. PMID: 37345660
  4. Miller, S. J., Yashchenko, A. Zimmerman, K.A.* 2023. Isolation and Flow Cytometry Analysis of Macrophages from the Kidney. Methods Mol Biol. 2713:171-181. PMID: 37639123
  5. Maryam, B.#, Smith, M.E.#, Miller, S.J., Natarajan, H., Zimmerman, K.A.* 2024. Macrophage ontogeny, phenotype, and function in the injury and repair process after acute kidney injury. Kidney360. 1;5(3):459-470. PMID: 38297436 
  6. Subramanian A, Vernon KA, Zhou Y, Marshall JL, Alimova M, Arevalo C, Zhang F, Slyper M, Waldman J, Montesinos MS, Dionne D, Nguyen LT, Cuoco MS, Dubinsky D, Purnell J, Keller K, Sturner SH, Grinkevich E, Ghoshal A, Kotek A, Trivioli G, Richoz N, Humphrey MB, Darby IG, Miller SJ, Xu Y, Weins A, Chloe-Villani A, Chang SL, Kretzler M, Rosenblatt-Rosen O, Shaw JL, Zimmerman KA, Clatworthy MR, Regev A, Greka A. 2024. Protective role for kidney TREM2high macrophages in obesity- and diabetes-induced kidney injury. Cell Reports. 21;43(6):114253. PMID: 38781074
  7. Hill, K. B., Mullen, G. P., Nagareddy, P. R., Zimmerman, K.A., and Rudolph, M.C. 2024. Key questions and gaps in understanding adipose tissue macrophages and early-life metabolic programming. American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism. 327(4):E478-E497.  PMID: 39171752
  8. Jansson, K.P., Kuluva, J., Zhang, S., Swanson, T., Zhang, Y., Zimmerman, K.A., Fields, T.A., Wallace, D.P., Rowe, P.S., Stubbs, J.R. 2024. Osteopontin Deletion Attenuates Cyst Growth but Exacerbates Fibrosis in Mice with Cystic Kidney Disease. Physiological Reports. 12(17):e70038. PMID: 39238069
  9. Miller, S.J.#, Gonzalez, N.M.#, Smith, M.E., Croyle, M.J., Yoder, B.K., Zimmerman, K.A.* 2024. T cell-expressed Ift88 is required for proper thymocyte differentiation in mice. Physiological Reports. 12(22):e70120. PMID: 39562155
  10. Miller, S.J., Hill, K., Darby, I., Nusrat, F., Friedman, J.E., Rudolph, M.C., Zimmerman, K.A.* 2025.  The impact of maternal obesity on polycystic kidney disease progression in a mouse model. American Journal of Physiology- Renal Physiology. 328(3):F316-F327. PMID: 39908005
  11. Patel, M.M., Gerakopoulos, V., Lettenmaier, B., Petsouki, E., Zimmerman, K.A., Sayer, J.A., Tsiokas, L. SOX9-dependent fibrosis drives renal function in nephronophthisis. EMBO Molecular Medicine.  17(6):1238-1258. PMID: 40211043
  12. Li, Z., Hombal, R.P., Wang, J., Cherakara, S., Howton, T.C., Zimmerman, K.A., Collawn, J.F., Andersen, R.S., Haycraft, C.J., Croyle, M.J., Parant, J.M., Lasseigne, B.N., Yoder, B.K. 2025. Macrophage Accumulation and Cyst Expansion in Pkd2, Ift88, and Double Mutant Mouse Models. Published ahead of print at JASN. PMID: 40455584
 

 

A full list of Dr. Zimmerman's research publications can be found at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/1vWJzwb3kLkAi/bibliography/public/

Research funding:

ACTIVE

R01DK126705-01 (Tsiokas) 04/01/21-03/31/260.24 CM

NIH/NIDDK  

Role: Co-investigator

Ciliary Disassembly, a modifier of Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease

The goal of this study is to determine the importance of Pkd1 and Pkd2 in regulating ciliary disassembly. A second goal is to determine what affect delayed cilia disassembly has on the severity of cystic kidney disease.

R01DK129255 (Zimmerman) 09/15/22-6/30/272.4 CM

NIH/NIDDK

Role: PI

Understanding kidney resident macrophage niche filling following temporary depletion

The goal of this study is to determine what happens to the kidney resident macrophage niche following temporary depletion, identify and analyze kidney resident macrophage precursors.

1R21DK140693-01 (Zimmerman, Ma) 09/01/24-08/31/250.6 CM

NIDDK

Role: PI (multi PI grant)

Constructing Mouse and Human Single-cell Atlas in Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease

The goal of this study is to develop a cross model and species single cell RNA sequencing atlas of polycystic kidney disease.

Seed Grant (Zimmerman) 07/1/25-06/30/260.6 CM

Presbyterian Health Foundation

Role: PI

Studying the function of IGF1 in Trem2+ expressing macrophages during polycystic kidney disease progression.

The goal of this study is to test if macrophage-specific loss of Igf1 impacts the rate of PKD progression.

RECENTLY COMPLETED

R21DK129255 (Webb) 07/1/22-6/30/250.6 CM

NIH/NIDDK

Role: Co-investigator

Arid3a is required for kidney regeneration

Studying the importance of Arid3a for the aging kidney.

Seed Grant (Zimmerman) 07/1/24-06/30/250.6 CM

Presbyterian Health Foundation

Role: PI

Targeting Ifng signaling to slow injury accelerated cystic kidney disease

The goal of this study is to determine the importance of Ifng in rapidly progressing mouse models of cystic kidney disease and in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) patients with rapidly progressing disease.

Team Science grant (Humphrey, Zimmerman) 07/1/23-06/30/250.6 CM

Harold Hamm Diabetes Center

Role: PI (multi PI grant)

Exploring the role of Trem2+ kidney resident macrophages in diabetic kidney disease.

The goal of this study is to determine the importance of Trem2+ kidney resident macrophages in diabetic kidney disease.

Team Science Award (Stavrakis, Zimmerman) 07/1/22-6/30/250.81 CM

Presbyterian Health Foundation

Role: PI (multi PI grant)

The role of immune cells in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.

The goal of this study is to determine how transcutaneous vagal nerve stimulation impacts cardiac macrophage phenotype and function in a mouse model of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF).

K01 DK119375-01A1(Zimmerman) 05/01/20 – 04/30/259 CM

NIH/NIDDK

Role: PI

Investigating CD4 T regulatory cells during rapid cystogenesis

The goal of this study is to study the role of CD4 T regulatory cells during rapid cystogenesis in a conditional Ift88 model of renal cystic disease.

Team Science grant (Humphrey, Zimmerman) 07/1/21-06/30/240.6 CM

Presbyterian Health Foundation

Role: PI (multi PI grant)

Exploring the role of Trem2+ kidney resident macrophages in polycystic kidney disease.

The goal of this study is to determine the importance of Trem2+ kidney resident macrophages in polycystic kidney disease.