Survivin functions to suppress cell death and regulate cell division, and is observed uniquely in tumor cells and developmental cells. However, the expression and regulation of survivin in non-transformed cells are not well elucidated. Therefore, we investigated the expression of survivin in a murine liver regeneration model after partial hepatectomy and intraperitoneal carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) injection. We found that the expression of survivin transcript and protein were markedly elevated with the onset of DNA synthesis and remained elevated during G2 and M phases during liver regeneration. In a normal mouse liver cell line, over-expression of survivin resulted in a decrease in the G0/G1 phase and an increase in the S and G2/M phases, resulting in Rb phosphorylation. These findings suggest that survivin is dramatically expressed in a cell cycle-dependent manner during liver regeneration and provide a new insight into the regulation of cell proliferation and differentiation. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science (USA). All rights reserved.