When B cells are stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) they start to proliferate and mature into immunoglobulin (Ig)-secreting cells. Co-stimulation with F(ab')2 fragments of antibodies directed against the B cell antigen receptor leads to an inhibition of Ig secretion but not of proliferation. This effect can be mimicked by phorbol esters alone or by a combination of phorbol esters and the Ca2+ ionophore ionomycin, which activate protein kinase C. Here we report that co-stimulation with phorbol esters and ionomycin differentially affects a group of genes normally up-regulated during the course of LPS-dependent B cell activation. Thus, the mRNA coding for the membrane-bound form of IgM and the interleukin 2 receptor (55-kDa protein) continue to be expressed at the levels typical of LPS-stimulated cells, while the mRNA coding for the secreted form of IgM (mu S) and for the J chain are reduced. The loss of mu S mRNA is attributable to an altered processing behavior with respect to the mu precursor and/or a decreased stability of the mRNA itself.