Although our study was conducted in cell culture, it is likely that this reciprocal regulation of MAGED2 and HIF-1α, could also take place in native tissues, in particular the kidney, and play a crucial role in the chronic renal adaptations to physiological or pathological challenges: Of note, MAGED2 protein is constitutively expressed in the distal tubule [8,31] while HIF-1α protein is absent in adult kidney, both are induced in the distal tubule of the kidney in rodent models of acute kidney injury (AKI) [31,32,33]. Here, HIF1A is linked to acute kidney injury.