The Role of the Kidney in the Erythropoietic Response to Hypoxia in Parabiotic Rats

1. Parabiotic rats, in which one partner was either nephrectomized or ureter ligated, have been used to determine the role of the kidney in the stimulation of erythropoiesis by hypoxia as measured by iron⁵⁹ incorporation into the peripheral RBC.

2. The radioiron incorporation into peripheral red blood cells was less in pairs in which the nephrectomized partner was hypoxic than in the pairs in which the unoperated or ureter ligated partner was hypoxic, suggesting that the kidney is important in the stimulation of erythropoiesis in response to hypoxia.

3. The iron incorporation in pairs in which the nephrectomized partner was hypoxic was greater than in those pairs in which one partner was nephrectomized but neither was hypoxic, suggesting that tissues other than the kidney contribute to the erythropoietic response to hypoxia.