Our previous studies show that in mice immunized with the paraflagellar rod (PFR) proteins of Trypanosoma cruzi protective immunity against this protozoan parasite requires MHC class I-restricted T cell function. To determine whether PFR-specific CD8+ T cell subsets are generated during T. cruzi infection, potential CTL targets in the PFR proteins were identified by scanning the amino acid sequences of the four PFR proteins for regions of 8-10 amino acids that conform to predicted MHC class I H-2b binding motifs. A subset of the peptide sequences identified were synthesized and tested as target antigen in 51Cr-release assays with effector cells from chronically infected T. cruzi mice. Short-term cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) lines specific for two of the peptides, PFR-1(164-171) and PFR-3(123-130), showed high levels of lytic activity against peptide-pulsed target cells, secreted interferon (IFN)-gamma in response to parasite-infected target cells, and were found to be CD8+, CD4-, CD3+, TCRalphabeta+ cells of the Tc1 subset. Challenge of PFR immunized CD8-/- and perforin-deficient (PKO) mice confirmed that while CD8+ cells are required for survival of T. cruzi challenge infection, perforin activity is not required. Furthermore, while lytic activity of PFR-specific CD8+ T cell lines derived from PKO mice was severely impaired, the IFN-gamma levels secreted by CTLs from PKO mice were equivalent to that of normal mice, suggesting that the critical role played by CD8+ T cells in immunity to the parasite may be secretion of type 1 cytokines rather than lysis of parasite infected host cells.