L-PHA reactive oligosaccharides are found on the surface of HBL-2 cells, a lymphoma cell line, established from a human diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Swainsonine (SW) is a potent inhibitor of alpha-mannosidase II which catalyzes the biosynthesis of complex type N-linked oligosaccharides in human cells. CD40L stimulation of HBL-2 cells leads to their prolonged survival. Reduction in the expression of N-linked oligosaccharides, including L-PHA reactive oligosaccharides, on the cell surface by SW treatment resulted in enhancement of HBL-2 cell survival by CD40L stimulation. From an Annexin V assay the enhancement of CD40L-mediated HBL-2 cell survival by SW treatment may have resulted from anti-necrotic effects after 48 h of incubation. Bcl-2 enzyme linked immuno sorbent assay (ELISA) data showed that the expression of bcl-2 protein was enhanced by CD40L stimulation alone and also by CD40L stimulation along with SW treatment. However, there were no significant differences in the amount of bcl-2 protein with these treatments. Therefore, the enhancement of CD40L-mediated cell survival by SW treatment did not depend on the enhancement of bcl-2 protein expression. Furthermore, SW treatment of HBL-2 cells led to degradation of the heavy chain of IgM and rescued HBL-2 cells from anti-IgM-induced growth inhibition. Anti-IgM induced growth inhibition of HBL-2 cells prevented the inhibition of cell death by CD40L. From the present results it is possible that reduction of N-glycosylation of the heavy chain of IgM by SW treatment may reduce anti-IgM-induced growth inhibition, and reduction in anti-IgM-induced growth inhibition due to altered N-glycosylation may enhance CD40-CD40L-mediated cell survival through TRAF2 which interacts with both IgM and CD40 in HBL-2 cells.