The Pax6 gene belongs to the Pax gene family and is an evolutionarily conserved gene that encodes a transcription factor. During embryonic development, the Pax6 gene plays an important regulatory role in the morphological development of organs such as the eyes, nervous system, and pancreas. In the development of the eye, the Pax6 gene is one of the main regulatory genes, widely expressed in the neuroectoderm and surface ectoderm. The Pax6 gene is regulated by multiple enhancers located upstream and downstream of the transcription start site, at distances of tens or hundreds of bases. Mutations in the Pax6 gene or its regulatory elements can lead to various eye malformations, such as iris defects, cataracts, and retinal dysplasia. In addition, the Pax6 gene is also associated with diseases such as diabetes and cancer.

This strain was constructed using gene editing technology. The TAA stop codon was replaced with the “P2A-Cre” cassette. The expression pattern of Cre recombinase in these mice is similar to that of the endogenous Pax6 gene. When crossed with mice containing loxP sites, sequence deletion between loxP sites mediated by Cre recombinase occurs in the retina during the early embryonic development of the offspring. The heterozygous Pax6-Cre mice are viable and fertile, while homozygous mice have incomplete eye development.