Given that Pax6 is directly repressed by miR-7 in β-cells (Kredo-Russo et al., 2012; Latreille et al., 2014) and Pax6 inactivation lowers insulin mRNA levels (Ahmad et al., 2015), the above suggests a pivotal role for the miR-7/Pax6 axis in triggering loss of β-cell identity in T2D. Here, PAX6 is linked to type 2 diabetes mellitus.