Kusewitt, Donna F.

Kusewitt, Donna, D.V.M, Ph.D.

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Research Interests

Skin carcinogenesis, epithelial-mesenchymal transformation, genetically engineered mice, comparative pathology

Current Research

Research interests in Dr. Kusewitt’s laboratory focus on the adverse effects of ultraviolet radiation (UVR), with an emphasis on studies of skin carcinogenesis in animal models, including melanoma and nonmelanoma skin cancer. Recent areas of concentration include i) examining the role of the transcription factor Slug in skin homeostasis, skin carcinogenesis, and cutaneous and corneal wound healing, ii) investigating the underlying causes of markedly enhanced skin tumor susceptibility in immunosuppressed transplant recipients, and iii) developing improved mouse models of human skin cancer.

The Slug transcription factor plays an important role in epithelial–mesenchymal transformation (EMT) during embryogenesis and is expressed in adult tissues during EMT-like events in carcinoma progression and wound healing. Current research in the Kusewitt laboratory is aimed at determining the downstream targets of Slug responsible for controlling EMT. The unexpected finding that Slug knockout mice are resistant to sunburn has led us to demonstrate and investigate a novel role for Slug in controlling UVR-induced cutaneous inflammation.

The markedly increased susceptibility to squamous cell carcinoma in immunocompromised patients and the aggressive nature of these tumors suggest that immunosurveillance protects against UVR-induced non-melanoma skin cancer. We are investigating the pathways by which immunosuppression alters both the acute (inflammation) and chronic (tumor development) response of the skin to UVR.

Mouse strains differ considerably in their susceptibility to UVR-induced skin cancer, and the strains most susceptible to UVR-induced skin cancer (hairless mice) are not amenable to genetic manipulation. Moreover, commercially available hairless mice are outbred, which limits their usefulness for many experimental studies. Therefore, in collaboration with investigators here and elsewhere, we are developing a number of inbred strains of hairless mice that will be very useful for future experimental studies.

Dr. Kusewitt is also involved in a number of collaborative research projects, including studies of the role of arsenic in enhancing skin carcinogenesis and the role of epidermal growth factor in skin carcinogenesis. Moreover, as a veterinary pathologist, Dr. Kusewitt, along with Dr. Mark McArthur of the M.D. Anderson facility at Bastrop, staffs the Mutant Mouse Pathology Service, which provides fee-for service pathology for a variety of investigators.

Selected Publications

  1. Newkirk KM, Chandler HL, Parent AE, Young DC, Colitz CM, Wilkie DA, Kusewitt DF. Ultraviolet radiation-induced corneal degeneration in 129 mice, Toxicol Pathol, 35 (6), 819-26, 2007
  2. Duncan FJ, Wulff BC, Tober KL, Ferketich AK, Martin J, Thomas-Ahner JM, Allen SD, Kusewitt DF, Oberyszyn TM, Vanbuskirk AM. Clinically relevant immunosuppressants influence UVB-induced tumor size through effects on inflammation and angiogenesis, Am J Transplant, 7 (12), 2693-703, 2007
  3. Newkirk KM, Parent AE, Fossey SL, Choi C, Chandler HL, Rajala-Schultz PJ, Kusewitt DF. Snai2 expression enhances ultraviolet radiation-induced skin carcinogenesis, Am J Pathol, 171 (5), 1629-39, 2007
  4. Newkirk KM, Mackenzie DA, Bakaletz AP, Hudson LG, Kusewitt DF. Microarray analysis demonstrates a role for slug in epidermal homeostasis, J Invest Dermatol, 128 (2), 361-9, 2008
  5. Thomas-Ahner JM, Wulff BC, Tober KL, Kusewitt DF, Riggenbach JA, Oberyszyn TM. Gender differences in UVB-induced skin carcinogenesis, inflammation, and DNA damage, Cancer Res, 67 (7), 3468-74, 2007
  6. Hatton JL, Parent A, Tober KL, Hoppes T, Wulff BC, Duncan FJ, Kusewitt DF, VanBuskirk AM, Oberyszyn TM. Depletion of CD4+ cells exacerbates the cutaneous response to acute and chronic UVB exposure, J Invest Dermatol, 127 (6), 1507-15, 2007
  7. Hudson LG, Choi C, Newkirk KM, Parkhani J, Cooper KL, Lu P, Kusewitt DF. Ultraviolet radiation stimulates expression of Snail family transcription factors in keratinocytes, Mol Carcinog, 46 (4), 257-68, 2007
  8. Chandler HL, Colitz CM, Lu P, Saville WJ, Kusewitt DF. The role of the slug transcription factor in cell migration during corneal re-epithelialization in the dog, Exp Eye Res, 84 (3), 400-11, 2007
  9. Kusewitt DF, Rush L, Neoplasia and tumor biology, in Pathologic Basis of Veterinary Disease, edited by McGavin MD, Zachary JF, Mosby-Elsevier, St. Louis, 2007

Contact Information


Mailing Address: P.O. Box 389, Smithville, Texas 78957
Physical Address: 1808 Park Road 1C, Smithville, Texas 78957
Phone: (512) 237-9347