Inhibition of T-cell invasion across cultured fibroblast monolayers by phenothiazine-related calmodulin inhibitors: impairment of lymphocyte motility by trifluoperazine and chlorpromazine, and alteration of the monolayer by pimozide

Phenothiazines inhibit the typical shape changes displayed by activated lymphocytes and thereby their migration through polycarbonate filters. The structure activity relationship of this effect is distinct from calmodulin inhibition. Our aim was to study this effect of phenothiazines on lymphocyte migration in an environment with living solid tissue cells. We assessed the effect of trifluoperazine and chlorpromazine (TFP and CP, two strong inhibitors of lymphocyte motility) and pimozide (PIM, a much weaker inhibitor of lymphocyte motility but a strong inhibitor of calmodulin) on invasion of human Molt-4 T-cells across precultured fibroblast monolayers. As expected invasion was inhibited by TFP and CP in the micromolar range that also inhibited motility. Surprisingly, PIM inhibited monolayer invasion at least as efficiently as TFP and CP (from 2.25 μM on). Preincubation of the monolayers or the lymphoid cells show that PIM exerted this novel invasion inhibiting effect on the monolayer. TFP and CP had a much weaker effect on the monolayer. Since these three compounds inhibit calmodulin in the same order, it is likely that this effect on the monolayer was caused by inhibition of a calmodulin-dependent pathway. KN-62, a specific inhibitor of calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II acted on the monolayer like PIM, whereas ML-7, a specific inhibitor of myosin regulatory light chain kinase, inhibited lymphoid cell motility like TFP and CP. In conclusion, invasion of T-cells across cellular monolayers is inhibited both by PIM and by phenothiazines like TFP and CP, but via distinct mechanisms: TFP and CP inhibit lymphocyte motility via a calmodulin independent pathway, whereas PIM impairs the monolayer’s tolerance for invasion, most likely via a calmodulin and CamKII dependent pathway.