Vinit C. Shanbhag, MS, PhD

Assistant Research Professor

    Email: vcs36d@missouri.edu

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    RESEARCH INTERESTS

    Copper homeostasis; lysyl oxidase biology; extracellular matrix remodeling; cancer metastasis and therapeutic targeting; host-pathogen interactions.

    Copper is an essential trace element required for mitochondrial respiration, antioxidant defense, connective tissue maturation, and many other biological processes. Because both copper deficiency and excess can be harmful, biological systems must tightly regulate its distribution and prioritize its use among multiple copper-dependent proteins. Our research focuses on the lysyl oxidase (LOX) family of secretory cuproenzymes, which catalyze collagen and elastin crosslinking and are essential for extracellular matrix formation, tissue integrity, and remodeling. We investigate the broader relationship between copper homeostasis, LOX function, and the pathobiology of connective tissue disorders, fibrosis, and cancer metastasis, with the goal of identifying new therapeutic strategies.

    A translational component of our program examines systemic and tumor-associated copper homeostasis in breast cancer, with particular interest in high-risk triple-negative breast cancer. We aim to understand how circulating copper, copper-associated proteins, and tumor copper utilization relate to disease progression and treatment response. Extending our interest in copper homeostasis to microbial pathobiology, we also examine its role in the physiology and pathogenesis of tick-borne bacteria and in host-pathogen interactions.

    SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

    Complete list of publications: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=VOhseXwAAAAJ&hl=en

    1. Shanbhag VC, Anakpeba-Dinguyella S, Gudekar N, Conrad K, Azubuogu C, Probst C, Ralle M, Mediavilla MG, Cricco JA, Garza NM, Gohil VM, Peck S, Kumar S, Natarajan A, Horadigala-Gamage MA, Meloni G, Singh K, Petris MJ.A broad-spectrum inhibitor of copper-exporting P1B-type ATPases. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2026 May 14;123(20):e2604078123. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2604078123. PMCID: PMC13187769.
    2. Shanbhag VC, Gudekar N, Yasir M, Conrad K, Anakpeba-Dinguyella S, Suthar P, Rao P, Petris M, Vahdat L, Papageorgiou C. Tumor CTR1 Expression and Systemic Copper Dynamics Converge on a Copper Axis in High-Grade Triple-Negative Breast Cancer. Cancer Res Commun. 2026 Jun 30;6(6):1531-1538. doi: 10.1158/2767-9764.CRC-26-0036. PMCID: PMC13316778.
    3. Shanbhag V, Jasmer-McDonald K, Zhu S, Martin AL, Gudekar N, Khan A, Ladomersky E, Singh K, Weisman GA, Petris MJ. ATP7A delivers copper to the lysyl oxidase family of enzymes and promotes tumorigenesis and metastasis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2019 Apr 2;116(14):6836-6841. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1817473116. PMCID: PMC6452744.
    4. Shanbhag VC, Gudekar N, Jasmer K, Papageorgiou C, Singh K, Petris MJ. Copper metabolism as a unique vulnerability in cancer. Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Cell Res. 2021 Feb;1868(2):118893. doi: 10.1016/j.bbamcr.2020.118893. PMCID: PMC7779655.
    5. Zhu S*, Shanbhag V*, Wang Y, Lee J, Petris M. A Role for The ATP7A Copper Transporter in Tumorigenesis and Cisplatin Resistance. J Cancer. 2017;8(11):1952-1958. doi: 10.7150/jca.19029. eCollection 2017. PMCID: PMC5559955. (* Co-first author)
    6. Jasmer KJ, Shanbhag VC, Muñoz Forti K, Woods LT, Gudekar NS, Weisman GA, Petris MJ. Pulmonary lysyl oxidase expression and its role in seeding Lewis lung carcinoma cells. Clin Exp Metastasis. 2025 Feb; 42(1):7. doi: 10.1007/s10585-024-10325-y. PMCID: PMC12126840.
    7. Besold AN, Shanbhag V, Petris MJ, Culotta VC. Ceruloplasmin as a source of Cu for a fungal pathogen. J Inorg Biochem. 2021 Jun; 219:111424. doi: 10.1016/j.jinorgbio.2021.111424. PMCID: PMC8106662.
    8. Gudekar N, Shanbhag V, Wang Y, Ralle M, Weisman GA, Petris MJ. Metallothioneins regulate ATP7A trafficking and control cell viability during copper deficiency and excess. Sci Rep. 2020 May 12;10(1):7856. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-64521-3. PMCID: PMC7217913.
    9. Zhu S, Shanbhag V, Hodgkinson VL, Petris MJ. Multiple di-leucines in the ATP7A copper transporter are required for retrograde trafficking to the trans-Golgi network. Metallomics. 2016 Sep 1;8(9):993-1001. doi: 10.1039/c6mt00093b. PMCID: PMC5025395.
    10. Rakshit A, Khatua K, Shanbhag V, Comba P, Datta A. Cu2+ selective chelators relieve copper-induced oxidative stress in vivo. Chem Sci. 2018 Nov 7;9(41):7916-7930. doi: 10.1039/c8sc04041a. PMCID: PMC6202919.
    11. Guthrie LM, Soma S, Yuan S, Silva A, Zulkifli M, Snavely TC, Greene HF, Nunez E, Lynch B, De Ville C, Shanbhag V, Lopez FR, Acharya A, Petris MJ, Kim BE, Gohil VM, Sacchettini JC. Elesclomol alleviates Menkes pathology and mortality by escorting Cu to cuproenzymes in mice. Science. 2020 May 8;368(6491):620-625. doi: 10.1126/science.aaz8899. PMCID: PMC7304446.
    12. Zulkifli M, Farid I, Oldfather LE, Shanbhag VC, Leary SC, Petris MJ, Cobine PA, Gohil VM. SLC25A3 exports mitochondrial copper to metalate cytochrome c oxidase and prevent cuproptosis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2026;123(25):e2612098123. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2612098123. PMCID: PMC13291491.