The BAFF Receptor Transduces Survival Signals by Co-opting the B Cell Receptor Signaling Pathway

Follicular B cell survival requires signaling from BAFFR, a receptor for BAFF and the B cell antigen receptor (BCR). This tonic BCR survival signal is distinct from that induced by antigen binding and may be ligand-independent. We show that inducible inactivation of the Syk tyrosine kinase, a key signal transducer from the BCR following antigen binding, resulted in the death of most follicular B cells because Syk-deficient cells were unable to survive in response to BAFF. Genetic rescue studies demonstrated that Syk transduces BAFFR survival signals via ERK and PI3 kinase. Surprisingly, BAFFR signaling directly induced phosphorylation of both Syk and the BCR-associated Ig± signaling subunit, and this Syk phosphorylation required the BCR. We conclude that the BCR and Ig± may be required for B cell survival because they function as adaptor proteins in a BAFFR signaling pathway leading to activation of Syk, demonstrating previously unrecognized crosstalk between the two receptors. º Inducible loss of the Syk tyrosine kinase results in death of follicular B cells º Syk transduces survival signals from BAFFR to the ERK and PI3 kinase-PDK1 pathways º BAFFR signaling results in phosphorylation of Ig± and Syk º BAFFR transduces signals via the BCR to activation of Syk