Pax6 is a transcription factor essential for the development of tissues 
including the eyes, central nervous system and endocrine glands of vertebrates 
and invertebrates. It regulates the expression of a broad range of molecules, 
including transcription factors, cell adhesion and short-range cell-cell 
signalling molecules, hormones and structural proteins. It has been implicated 
in a number of key biological processes including cell proliferation, migration, 
adhesion and signalling both in normal development and in oncogenesis. The 
mechanisms by which Pax6 regulates its downstream targets likely involve the use 
of different splice variants and interactions with multiple proteins, allowing 
it to generate different effects in different cells. Extrapolation to 
developmental transcription factors in general suggests that variation in the 
nature of individual factors is likely to contribute to the emergence of 
differences between tissues.