recombination.•Upon antigenic stimuli, naïve B cells rapidly increase both glycolysis and
OXPHOS.•Maintenance of activation induced metabolic boost depends on receiving
costimulatory signals.•Metabolic activity of B cells is shaped by the conditions in their
vicinity.Throughout their lifetimes B cells shift metabolic gears to move rapidly from
quiescent states to full out proliferative expansion and back again. Here we discuss recent …
Highlights
- B cell progenitors are metabolically active during expansion and silent during Ig recombination.
- Upon antigenic stimuli, naïve B cells rapidly increase both glycolysis and OXPHOS.
- Maintenance of activation induced metabolic boost depends on receiving costimulatory signals.
- Metabolic activity of B cells is shaped by the conditions in their vicinity.
Throughout their lifetimes B cells shift metabolic gears to move rapidly from quiescent states to full out proliferative expansion and back again. Here we discuss recent findings that shed light on how B cells rapidly shift gears to metabolically fuel expansion and then just as rapidly down shift during phases of receptor rearrangements to ensure genome stability. We also discuss the link between metabolic activity and fate decisions in B cells.