Table 1.

Summary of studies evaluating the effect of hypoxia on kidney development.

Hypoxia Model	Result	Citation
E12 mouse kidney explants cultured 48hr	More extensive branching in 5% O2 compared to 20% O2 Improved branching with addition of FGF2 and VEGF (decreased with neutralizing antibodies)	[48]
E13 rat kidney explants cultured 96hr	More extensive branching in 5% O2 compared to 21% O2 (appeared to be HIF-1α dependent) 5% O2 inhibited apoptosis in the ureteric bud and increased expression of GDNF and FGF7 mRNA in the metanephric mesenchyme	[49]
E12 and E13 mouse kidney explants cultured 24hr in 21% O2 then 48hr in 1/5/21% O2 Ksp-cre driven deletion of PHD2 (HIF stabilization) or HIF-1α; grown as explants	More extensive branching in explants grown in 21% O2 than in 1% and 5% O2 Decreased branching and glomerulogenesis with loss of HIF-1α in the ureteric bud Increased branching and number of glomeruli formed with HIF stabilization in the ureteric bud	[50]
Pregnant mice exposed to 12% O2 for 48hr at E12 or 5.5–7.5% for 8 hr	Reduced ureteric branching and nephron formation Reduced β-catenin signaling in the ureteric tree of hypoxia-exposed embryonic mouse kidneys	[55]
E12 mouse kidney explants cultured 7 days	Fewer differentiated structures in 1% and 5% O2 compared to 21% O2 Associated with an unperfused nephrogenic zone	[52]
Pregnant rats exposed to 10.5% O2 from 4–21 days	Fewer glomeruli with enlarged Bowman space Increased apoptosis and autophagy	[61]

VEGF= vascular endothelial growth factor