The authors concluded that Cd (and cisplatin) induces anemia through direct damage of PT cells that mainly contribute to renal EPO production (peritubular fibroblasts-like interstitial cells did not express Epo mRNA in this study; however, see Nagai et al. 2014 for a reevaluation of EPO production by the nephron). This evidence concerns the gene EPO and anemia (phenotype).