From zero to sixty and back to zero again: the metabolic life of B cells

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.