Second signals rescue B cells from activation-induced mitochondrial dysfunction and death

B cells are activated by two temporally distinct signals, the first provided by the binding of antigen to the B cell antigen receptor (BCR), and the second provided by helper T cells. Here we found that B cells responded to antigen by rapidly increasing their metabolic activity, including both oxidative phosphorylation and glycolysis. In the absence of a second signal, B cells progressively lost mitochondrial function and glycolytic capacity, which led to apoptosis. Mitochondrial dysfunction was a result of the gradual accumulation of intracellular calcium through calcium response–activated calcium channels that, for approximately 9 h after the binding of B cell antigens, was preventable by either helper T cells or signaling via the receptor TLR9. Thus, BCR signaling seems to activate a metabolic program that imposes a limited time frame during which B cells either receive a second signal and survive or are eliminated.