CD8(+) cytotoxic T lymphocyte responses to lytic proteins of human herpes virus 8 in human immunodeficiency virus type 1-infected and -uninfected individuals

T cell immunity to lyric proteins of herpesviruses is important in host con trol of infection. We have characterized the cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) r esponse to 5 human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) homologues of lyric proteins in HH V-8-seropositive individuals. HLA class I-restricted, CD8(+) CTL responses to greater than or equal to 1 HHV-8 lyric protein were detected in all 14 H HV-8-seropositive study subjects tested, with or without human immunodefici ency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection, but not in any of 5 HHV-8-seronegative individuals. Seven of these study subjects with both HHV-8 and HIV-1 infec tion had greater anti-CTL reactivity to glycoprotein H (open-reading frame 22) than did the 7 study subjects infected only with HHV-8, Moreover, there was a strong, inverse correlation between HIV-1 load and glycoprotein H-sp ecific CTL lysis in the study subjects infected with both viruses. CTL reac tivity to HHV-8 lyric proteins may be involved in host control of HHV-8-rel ated diseases, such as Kaposi's sarcoma.