Skip to content
Home
Catherine E. Ovitt, Ph.D.

Catherine E. Ovitt, Ph.D.

About Me

Faculty Appointments

Professor Emerita - Department of Biomedical Genetics (SMD)

Credentials

Post-doctoral Training & Residency

Postdoctoral Fellow,
European Molecular Biology Laboratory,
Heidelberg, Germany 1987 - 1997

Education

PhD | Washington University. Molecular Biology. 1987

BS | University of Connecticut. Arts & Sciences. 1977

Awards

Elected "Salivary Gland Researcher of the Year". 2016

International Association of Dental Research Innovation in Oral Care Award. 2016

Postdoctoral Fellowship Award. 1987 - 1990

Research

Normal function of the salivary glands is critical for the maintenance of oral health. Radiation treatment of patients with head and neck cancers, as well as autoimmune diseases such as Sjögren's syndrome cause cellular damage in the salivary glands that is usually severe, irreversible, and impairs ...
Normal function of the salivary glands is critical for the maintenance of oral health. Radiation treatment of patients with head and neck cancers, as well as autoimmune diseases such as Sjögren's syndrome cause cellular damage in the salivary glands that is usually severe, irreversible, and impairs normal function. The long-range goal of this laboratory is to establish therapeutic strategies for repair or regeneration of the salivary glands. Basic research projects in our laboratory include the identification and characterization of progenitor cells involved in salivary gland development and regeneration, and the factors required for differentiation of secretory cells. Applied projects address strategies for protection of the salivary glands from radiation-induced damage, and for promoting regeneration of damaged glands.

Publications

Journal Articles

Ascl3 ionocytes in murine salivary gland ducts are innervated sensory cells that display unique calcium signalling characteristics and contribute to the composition of saliva.

Uchida H, Maruyama EO, Takano T, Aure MH, Glasner MF, Soares ZG, Faustoferri RC, Thomas VK, Makarenkova HP, Yule DI, Ovitt CE

The Journal of physiology.. 2026 February 20 Epub 02/20/2026.

Salivary gland tissue chip screening identifies candidate radioprotective drugs.

Piraino LR, Chen CY, Mereness JA, Dunman PM, Ovitt CE, Benoit DSW, DeLouise LA

Communications medicine.. 2025 October 95 (1):420. Epub 10/09/2025.

Ascl3+ ionocytes in murine salivary gland ducts are innervated sensory cells that display unique calcium signaling characteristics and contribute to the composition of saliva.

Uchida H, Maruyama EO, Takano T, Aure MH, Glasner MF, Guerra Soares Z, Faustoferii R, Thomas K, Makarenkova EP, Yule DI, Ovitt CE

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology.. 2025 September 2 Epub 09/02/2025.

Nkx2.3 transcription factor is a key regulator of mucous cell identity in salivary glands.

Gao X, Mukaibo T, Wei X, Faustoferri RC, Oei MS, Hwang SK, Yan AJ, Melvin JE, Ovitt CE

Developmental biology.. 2024 May 509 :1-10. Epub 02/02/2024.

CFTR expression in human salivary gland acinar cells.

Muñoz M, Acevedo A, Ovitt CE, Luitje ME, Maruyama EO, Catalán MA

American journal of physiology. Cell physiology.. 2024 March 1326 (3):C742-C748. Epub 01/29/2024.

Slow hydrogel matrix degradation enhances salivary gland mimetic phenotype.

Mereness JA, Piraino L, Chen CY, Moyston T, Song Y, Shubin A, DeLouise LA, Ovitt CE, Benoit DSW

Acta biomaterialia.. 2023 August 166 :187-200. Epub 05/05/2023.

Short-term and bystander effects of radiation on murine submandibular glands.

Uchida H, Ingalls MH, Maruyama EO, Johnston CJ, Hernady E, Faustoferri RC, Ovitt CE

Disease models & mechanisms.. 2022 November 115 (11)Epub 11/10/2022.

Encapsulation of Primary Salivary Gland Acinar Cell Clusters and Intercalated Ducts (AIDUCs) within Matrix Metalloproteinase (MMP)-Degradable Hydrogels to Maintain Tissue Structure and Function.

Song Y, Sharipol A, Uchida H, Ingalls MH, Piraino L, Mereness JA, Moyston T, DeLouise LA, Ovitt CE, Benoit DSW

Advanced healthcare materials.. 2022 April 11 (7):e2101948. Epub 01/20/2022.

Author Correction: Development of a functional salivary gland tissue chip with potential for high-content drug screening.

Song Y, Uchida H, Sharipol A, Piraino L, Mereness JA, Ingalls MH, Rebhahn J, Newlands SD, DeLouise LA, Ovitt CE, Benoit DSW

Communications biology.. 2022 March 305 (1):315. Epub 03/30/2022.

Novel impacts of saliva with regard to oral health.

Uchida H, Ovitt CE

The Journal of prosthetic dentistry.. 2022 March 127 (3):383-391. Epub 06/16/2021.

Author Correction: Development of a functional salivary gland tissue chip with potential for high-content drug screening.

Song Y, Uchida H, Sharipol A, Piraino L, Mereness JA, Ingalls MH, Rebhahn J, Newlands SD, DeLouise LA, Ovitt CE, Benoit DSW

Communications biology.. 2021 April 304 (1):533. Epub 04/30/2021.

Development of a functional salivary gland tissue chip with potential for high-content drug screening.

Song Y, Uchida H, Sharipol A, Piraino L, Mereness JA, Ingalls MH, Rebhahn J, Newlands SD, DeLouise LA, Ovitt CE, Benoit DSW

Communications biology.. 2021 March 194 (1):361. Epub 03/19/2021.

Long-Term Maintenance of Acinar Cells in Human Submandibular Glands After Radiation Therapy.

Luitje ME, Israel AK, Cummings MA, Giampoli EJ, Allen PD, Newlands SD, Ovitt CE

International journal of radiation oncology, biology, physics.. 2021 March 15109 (4):1028-1039. Epub 11/09/2020.

Stress or injury induces cellular plasticity in salivary gland acinar cells.

Shubin AD, Sharipol A, Felong TJ, Weng PL, Schutrum BE, Joe DS, Aure MH, Benoit DSW, Ovitt CE

Cell and tissue research.. 2020 June 380 (3):487-497. Epub 01/04/2020.

Intrinsic mitotic activity supports the human salivary gland acinar cell population.

Ingalls MH, Hollomon AJ, Newlands SD, McDavid AN, Ovitt CE

FEBS letters.. 2020 January 594 (2):376-382. Epub 10/02/2019.

Cellular plasticity in salivary gland regeneration.

Weng PL, Luitje ME, Ovitt CE

Oral diseases.. 2019 November 25 (8):1837-1839. Epub 10/09/2019.

Concise Review: A Critical Evaluation of Criteria Used to Define Salivary Gland Stem Cells.

Weng PL, Aure MH, Ovitt CE

Stem cells.. 2019 September 37 (9):1144-1150. Epub 06/19/2019.

Salivary gland cell aggregates are derived from self-organization of acinar lineage cells.

Varghese JJ, Hansen ME, Sharipol A, Ingalls MH, Ormanoski MA, Newlands SD, Ovitt CE, Benoit DSW

Archives of oral biology.. 2019 January 97 :122-130. Epub 10/22/2018.

Localized Delivery of Amifostine Enhances Salivary Gland Radioprotection.

Varghese JJ, Schmale IL, Mickelson D, Hansen ME, Newlands SD, Benoit DSW, Korshunov VA, Ovitt CE

Journal of dental research.. 2018 October 97 (11):1252-1259. Epub 04/10/2018.

Limited Regeneration of Adult Salivary Glands after Severe Injury Involves Cellular Plasticity.

Weng PL, Aure MH, Maruyama T, Ovitt CE

Cell reports.. 2018 August 724 (6):1464-1470.e3. Epub 1900 01 01.

Murine Salivary Functional Assessment via Pilocarpine Stimulation Following Fractionated Radiation.

Varghese JJ, Schmale IL, Hansen ME, Newlands SD, Benoit DSW, Ovitt CE

Journal of visualized experiments : JoVE.. 2018 May 4 (135)Epub 05/04/2018.

Retroductal Nanoparticle Injection to the Murine Submandibular Gland.

Varghese JJ, Schmale IL, Wang Y, Hansen ME, Newlands SD, Ovitt CE, Benoit DSW

Journal of visualized experiments : JoVE.. 2018 May 3 (135)Epub 05/03/2018.

Transcriptional profiling reveals gland-specific differential expression in the three major salivary glands of the adult mouse.

Gao X, Oei MS, Ovitt CE, Sincan M, Melvin JE

Physiological genomics.. 2018 April 150 (4):263-271. Epub 01/26/2018.

The Effects of Biological Fluids on Colloidal Stability and siRNA Delivery of a pH-Responsive Micellar Nanoparticle Delivery System.

Malcolm DW, Varghese JJ, Sorrells JE, Ovitt CE, Benoit DSW

ACS nano.. 2018 January 2312 (1):187-197. Epub 12/15/2017.

Encapsulation of primary salivary gland cells in enzymatically degradable poly(ethylene glycol) hydrogels promotes acinar cell characteristics.

Shubin AD, Felong TJ, Schutrum BE, Joe DS, Ovitt CE, Benoit DS

Acta biomaterialia.. 2017 March 150 :437-449. Epub 12/27/2016.

Ascl3 transcription factor marks a distinct progenitor lineage for non-neuronal support cells in the olfactory epithelium.

Weng PL, Vinjamuri M, Ovitt CE

Scientific reports.. 2016 December 26 :38199. Epub 12/02/2016.

Cell-Specific Cre Strains For Genetic Manipulation in Salivary Glands.

Maruyama EO, Aure MH, Xie X, Myal Y, Gan L, Ovitt CE

PloS one.. 2016 11 (1):e0146711. Epub 01/11/2016.

Salivary Glands: Stem Cells, Self-duplication, or Both?

Aure MH, Arany S, Ovitt CE

Journal of dental research.. 2015 November 94 (11):1502-7. Epub 08/18/2015.

Development of poly(ethylene glycol) hydrogels for salivary gland tissue engineering applications.

Shubin AD, Felong T, Graunke D, Ovitt CE, Benoit D

Tissue engineering. Part A.. 2015 June 21 (11-12):1733-51. Epub 04/17/2015.

Salivary gland homeostasis is maintained through acinar cell self-duplication.

Aure MH, Konieczny SF, Ovitt CE

Developmental cell.. 2015 April 2033 (2):231-7. Epub 04/02/2015.

Nanoparticle-mediated gene silencing confers radioprotection to salivary glands in vivo.

Arany S, Benoit DS, Dewhurst S, Ovitt CE

Molecular therapy : the journal of the American Society of Gene Therapy.. 2013 June 21 (6):1182-94. Epub 03/19/2013.

Pro-apoptotic gene knockdown mediated by nanocomplexed siRNA reduces radiation damage in primary salivary gland cultures.

Arany S, Xu Q, Hernady E, Benoit DS, Dewhurst S, Ovitt CE

Journal of cellular biochemistry.. 2012 June 113 (6):1955-65. Epub 1900 01 01.

Ascl3 marks adult progenitor cells of the mouse salivary gland.

Rugel-Stahl A, Elliott ME, Ovitt CE

Stem cell research.. 2012 May 8 (3):379-87. Epub 01/31/2012.

Ascl3 knockout and cell ablation models reveal complexity of salivary gland maintenance and regeneration.

Arany S, Catalán MA, Roztocil E, Ovitt CE

Developmental biology.. 2011 May 15353 (2):186-93. Epub 03/04/2011.

Generation of Osr1 conditional mutant mice.

Lan Y, Liu H, Ovitt CE, Jiang R

Genesis : the journal of genetics and development.. 2011 May 49 (5):419-22. Epub 04/02/2011.

The atypical homeodomain transcription factor Mohawk controls tendon morphogenesis.

Liu W, Watson SS, Lan Y, Keene DR, Ovitt CE, Liu H, Schweitzer R, Jiang R

Molecular and cellular biology.. 2010 October 30 (20):4797-807. Epub 08/09/2010.

Functional equivalence of the zinc finger transcription factors Osr1 and Osr2 in mouse development.

Gao Y, Lan Y, Ovitt CE, Jiang R

Developmental biology.. 2009 April 15328 (2):200-9. Epub 01/14/2009.

Ascl3 expression marks a progenitor population of both acinar and ductal cells in mouse salivary glands.

Bullard T, Koek L, Roztocil E, Kingsley PD, Mirels L, Ovitt CE

Developmental biology.. 2008 August 1320 (1):72-8. Epub 04/23/2008.

A unique mouse strain expressing Cre recombinase for tissue-specific analysis of gene function in palate and kidney development.

Lan Y, Wang Q, Ovitt CE, Jiang R

Genesis : the journal of genetics and development.. 2007 October 45 (10):618-24. Epub 1900 01 01.

The TGF-beta pseudoreceptor gene Bambi is dispensable for mouse embryonic development and postnatal survival.

Chen J, Bush JO, Ovitt CE, Lan Y, Jiang R

Genesis : the journal of genetics and development.. 2007 August 45 (8):482-6. Epub 1900 01 01.

Functional and molecular characterization of the fluid secretion mechanism in human parotid acinar cells.

Nakamoto T, Srivastava A, Romanenko VG, Ovitt CE, Perez-Cornejo P, Arreola J, Begenisich T, Melvin JE

American journal of physiology. Regulatory, integrative and comparative physiology.. 2007 June 292 (6):R2380-90. Epub 03/08/2007.

Physiological roles of the intermediate conductance, Ca2+-activated potassium channel Kcnn4.

Begenisich T, Nakamoto T, Ovitt CE, Nehrke K, Brugnara C, Alper SL, Melvin JE

The Journal of biological chemistry.. 2004 November 12279 (46):47681-7. Epub 09/03/2004.

Odd-skipped related 2 (Osr2) encodes a key intrinsic regulator of secondary palate growth and morphogenesis.

Lan Y, Ovitt CE, Cho ES, Maltby KM, Wang Q, Jiang R

Development.. 2004 July 131 (13):3207-16. Epub 06/02/2004.

The murine winged-helix transcription factor Foxl2 is required for granulosa cell differentiation and ovary maintenance.

Schmidt D, Ovitt CE, Anlag K, Fehsenfeld S, Gredsted L, Treier AC, Treier M

Development.. 2004 February 131 (4):933-42. Epub 01/21/2004.

Reduced fertility and spermatogenesis defects in mice lacking chromosomal protein Hmgb2.

Ronfani L, Ferraguti M, Croci L, Ovitt CE, Schöler HR, Consalez GG, Bianchi ME

Development.. 2001 April 128 (8):1265-73. Epub 1900 01 01.

A mouse model for hereditary thyroid dysgenesis and cleft palate.

De Felice M, Ovitt C, Biffali E, Rodriguez-Mallon A, Arra C, Anastassiadis K, Macchia PE, Mattei MG, Mariano A, Schöler H, Macchia V, Di Lauro R

Nature genetics.. 1998 August 19 (4):395-8. Epub 1900 01 01.

Oct-4: more than just a POUerful marker of the mammalian germline?

Brehm A, Ovitt CE, Schöler HR

APMIS : acta pathologica, microbiologica, et immunologica Scandinavica.. 1998 January 106 (1):114-24; discussion 124-6. Epub 1900 01 01.

Requirement for the ryanodine receptor type 3 for efficient contraction in neonatal skeletal muscles.

Bertocchini F, Ovitt CE, Conti A, Barone V, Schöler HR, Bottinelli R, Reggiani C, Sorrentino V

The EMBO journal.. 1997 December 116 (23):6956-63. Epub 1900 01 01.

Germline regulatory element of Oct-4 specific for the totipotent cycle of embryonal cells.

Yeom YI, Fuhrmann G, Ovitt CE, Brehm A, Ohbo K, Gross M, Hübner K, Schöler HR

Development.. 1996 March 122 (3):881-94. Epub 1900 01 01.

Differential sorting of lysosomal enzymes in mannose 6-phosphate receptor-deficient fibroblasts.

Ludwig T, Munier-Lehmann H, Bauer U, Hollinshead M, Ovitt C, Lobel P, Hoflack B

The EMBO journal.. 1994 August 113 (15):3430-7. Epub 1900 01 01.

Targeted disruption of the mouse cation-dependent mannose 6-phosphate receptor results in partial missorting of multiple lysosomal enzymes.

Ludwig T, Ovitt CE, Bauer U, Hollinshead M, Remmler J, Lobel P, Rüther U, Hoflack B

The EMBO journal.. 1993 December 1512 (13):5225-35. Epub 1900 01 01.

Bone and haematopoietic defects in mice lacking c-fos.

Wang ZQ, Ovitt C, Grigoriadis AE, Möhle-Steinlein U, Rüther U, Wagner EF

Nature.. 1992 360 (6406):741-5. Epub 1900 01 01.

Fat feeding stimulates only one of the two mRNAs encoding rat intestinal membranous and secreted alkaline phosphatase.

Seetharam S, Ovitt C, Strauss AW, Rubin D, Alpers DH

Biochemical and biophysical research communications.. 1987 May 29145 (1):363-8. Epub 1900 01 01.

Expression of different-sized placental alkaline phosphatase mRNAs in placenta and choriocarcinoma cells.

Ovitt CE, Strauss AW, Alpers DH, Chou JY, Boime I

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.. 1986 June 83 (11):3781-5. Epub 1900 01 01.

The beta subunit of human chorionic gonadotropin is encoded by multiple genes.

Policastro P, Ovitt CE, Hoshina M, Fukuoka H, Boothby MR, Boime I

The Journal of biological chemistry.. 1983 October 10258 (19):11492-9. Epub 1900 01 01.

Molecular cloning of developmentally regulated, low-abundance mRNA sequences from embryonic muscle.

Ordahl CP, Kioussis D, Tilghman SM, Ovitt CE, Fornwald J

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.. 1980 August 77 (8):4519-23. Epub 1900 01 01.