Although IL-4-producing B cells (B effector 2 cells) are found following infection and immunization, the signals regulating IL-4 production by Be2 cells are unknown. We show that culturing naive B cells with Th2 cells induces up-regulation of IL-4 in the B cells with a concomitant down-regulation of T-bet, IL-12Rβ2, and IFN-γ. Up-regulation of IL-4 in the Be2 cells is dependent on both T cells and IL-4 as IL-4Rα-deficient B cells primed with Th2 cells did not transcribe IL-4, and B cells primed in the presence of IL-4-deficient Th2 cells produced IFN-γ instead of IL-4. Likewise, the in vivo development of IL-4-expressing B cells in a nematode infection model was dependent on both T cells and IL-4Rα-mediated signals. Thus, the differentiation of naive B cells into IL-4-expressing Be2 cells is regulated by a combination of T cell-dependent signals and the cytokine environment and this process is critically dependent upon the IL-4/IL-4R signaling pathway.