17, 2009; doi:10.1152/ajpendo.00538.2009.-Wnt/␤-catenin signaling is critical for a variety of fundamental cellular processes. Here, we investigated the implication of the Wnt/␤-catenin signaling in the in vivo regulation of ␤-cell growth and regeneration in normal and diabetic rats. To this aim, TCF7L2, the distal effector of the canonical Wnt pathway, was knocked down in groups of normal and diabetic rats by the use of specific antisense morpholino-oligonucleotides. In other groups of diabetic rats, the Wnt/␤-catenin pathway was activated by the inhibition of its negative regulator GSK-3␤. GSK-3␤ was inactivated by either LiCl or anti-GSK-3␤ oligonucleotides. The ␤-cell mass was evaluated by morphometry. ␤-cell proliferation was assessed in vivo and in vitro by BrdU incorporation method. In vivo ␤-cell neogenesis was estimated by the evaluation of PDX1-positive ductal cells and GLUT2-positive ductal cells and the number of ␤ cells budding from the ducts. We showed that the in vivo disruption of the canonical Wnt pathway resulted in the alteration of normal and compensatory growth of ␤-cells mainly through the inhibition of ␤-cell proliferation. Conversely, activation of the Wnt pathway through the inhibition of GSK-3␤ had a significant stimulatory effect on ␤-cell regeneration in diabetic rats. In vitro, GSK-3␤ inactivation resulted in the stimulation of ␤-cell proliferation. This was mediated by the stabilization of ␤-catenin and the induction of cyclin D. Taken together, our results demonstrate the involvement of the canonical Wnt signaling in the neonatal regulation of normal and regenerative growth of pancreatic ␤-cells. Moreover, we provide evidence that activation of this pathway by pharmacological maneuvers can efficiently improve ␤-cell regeneration in diabetic rats. These findings might have potential clinical applications in the regenerative therapy of diabetes.diabetes; Wnt/␤-catenin pathway; glycogen synthetase kinase-3␤