# Class 1 Histone Deacetylases  Regulate Innate Immune Resistance to Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infection

> **NIH NIH K08** · UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA · 2021 · $144,576

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
This proposal describes a research and training program that will allow Dr. Monica Campo Patino to achieve
her long-term goal of becoming an independently funded translational physician-scientist in the area of
Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) immunopathogenesis. Dr. Campo is a faculty member of the Division of
Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at the University of Washington (UW) and has previous experience in
immunology laboratory based techniques. She developed a comprehensive career development plan that
builds on her previous training. This includes a research program focused on elucidating the role of epigenetic
mechanisms such as histone deacetylation in conferring resistance to Mtb infection. In addition, Dr. Campo
included didactic training in the responsible conduct of biomedical research and coursework in molecular
biology, epigenetics and career advancement. This work will be conducted under the mentorship of Dr.
Thomas R. Hawn, Professor of Medicine at the UW and a diverse scientific and career advisory committee. Dr.
Campo will execute her project at the UW, which provides a rich academic environment as one of the top NIH-
funded research institutions in the country.
Dr. Campo's research focuses on discovering the cellular mechanisms of natural resistance to Mtb infection
that can be targeted by new therapies. To achieve this, she leveraged a unique cohort of household contacts
of TB cases of which 9% are individuals who resist Mtb infection despite being in a TB endemic area. The
histone deacetylase (HDAC) gene family was found to distinguish individuals resistant to infection from those
latently infected by using transcriptional profiling. Dr. Campo's preliminary data supports this finding,
demonstrating that a Class 1 HDAC inhibitor controls Mtb growth in human monocytes and alveolar
macrophages. HDAC inhibitors modulate immune responses in cancer and other inflammatory diseases, but
their role in TB host response is unknown. This project's specific aim 1 will determine how class 1 HDACs
regulate the mechanisms of innate immune resistance to Mtb by utilizing molecular, genetic and epigenetic
techniques in human macrophages. Aim 2 will discover genetic variants that regulate HDAC1 expression and
function in macrophages, and will establish whether HDAC1-deficient humans are resistant to Mtb infection.
This study will provide new insights into the regulation of resistance to Mtb infection and could lead to a host-
directed therapy that targets a specific HDAC and helps to eradicate infection or treat active TB disease.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10550098
- **Project number:** 7K08AI130266-05
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
- **Principal Investigator:** Monica Campo Patino
- **Activity code:** K08 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $144,576
- **Award type:** 7
- **Project period:** 2018-08-23 → 2023-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10550098

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10550098, Class 1 Histone Deacetylases  Regulate Innate Immune Resistance to Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infection (7K08AI130266-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10550098. Licensed CC0.

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