Although HIF‐1α appears to exert a protective effect on renal damage in acute kidney injury (Bernhardt et al., 2006; Ma et al., 2009; Matsumoto et al., 2003; Weidemann et al., 2008), chronic sustained activation of HIF‐1α in renal tubular epithelial cells has been found to promote epithelial to mesenchymal transition and kidney fibrosis (Higgins et al., 2007). Here, HIF1A is linked to acute kidney injury.