Aging reduces the regenerative capacities of many tissues. In this paper, we show a critical role of the glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3)-cyclin D3 pathway in the loss of the regenerative capacity of the liver. In young animals, high levels of growth hormone (GH) increase expression of GSK3, which associates with cyclin D3 and triggers degradation of cyclin D3. In livers of old mice, the GSK3 promoter is repressed by C/EBP-histone deacetylase 1 (HDAC1) complexes, leading to the reduction of GSK3. The treatment of old mice with GH increases expression of GSK3 via removal of the C/EBP-HDAC1 complexes from the GSK3 promoter. We found that the GSK3-cyclin D3 pathway is also altered in young GH-deficient Little mice and that treatment of Little mice with GH corrects the GSK3-cyclin D3 pathway. We present evidence that GSK3 regulates liver proliferation by controlling growth-inhibitory activity of C/EBP␣. The downregulation of GSK3 in young mice inhibits liver proliferation after partial hepatectomy via the cyclin D3-C/EBP␣ pathway, while the elevation of GSK3 in old mice accelerates liver proliferation. Thus, this paper shows that GSK3 is a critical regulator of liver proliferation and that the reduction of GSK3 with age causes the loss of regenerative capacities of the liver.The decline of the regenerative capacities of tissues leads to the development of many age-related symptoms. Previous studies have identified several candidates which might contribute to the loss of regenerative capacities of tissues. Expression of p16INK4a has been found to be increased with age in many tissues and is involved in the loss of regenerative capacities of some tissues (19). Experiments with parabiotic animals have shown that the circulating systems of young mice contain some systemic factors which are able to rejuvenate progenitor cells in skeletal muscle and in the livers of old mice and correct proliferation of these tissues (7). Particularly, the young systemic environment reduces amounts of the C/EBP␣-Brm complex, which is abundant in livers of old mice and which reduces the regenerative capacity of the old livers (16, 34), through mechanisms that do not involve alterations in protein levels of components of the complex (7, 34). Several papers have suggested that growth hormone (GH) might be one of the systemic factors which correct regenerative capacities of tissues, including liver (11,14,20). For example, the treatment of old mice with GH corrects liver proliferation in old mice (20) and eliminates the C/EBP␣-Brm complex through reduction of cyclin D3 (34).Cyclin D3 belongs to a family of D-type cyclins which include cyclins D1, D2, and D3. D-type cyclins display significant homology, suggesting that they may perform overlapping functions. However, the expression patterns of the D-type cyclins vary widely, and individual cyclins D showed distinct functions in cell cycle progression and differentiation (2, 5, 17). Cyclin D1 is not detectable in quiescent livers but is induced after partial hepatectomy (PH) an...