<i>β-catenin</i> mutant optic vesicles do not form an optic cup.

<p>(A) <i>In situ</i> hybridization analyses of <i>β-catenin</i> expression on coronal sections of optic vesicles of an E9.5 control embryo (left panel) and an <i>Lhx2-Cre:β-catenin^flox/flox</i> embryo (right panel). The arrow heads indicate the boundaries of the area in the optic vesicle where <i>β-catenin</i> has been inactivated. (B–E) <i>In situ</i> hybridization analyses for gene expression of the indicated genes on coronal sections of control embryos (left panels) and <i>Lhx2-Cre:β-catenin^flox/flox</i> embryos (right panels) at E11.5. Arrows indicate the lens pit where the early lens ectoderm remains attached to the epidermal ectoderm in mutants. Arrow head in (B) indicate the area where the <i>β-catenin</i> gene has been inactivated. Scale bar: 100 µm.