Regulation of the production of erythropoietin occurs in the kidney and liver largely through control of accumulation of erythropoietin mRNA. Erythropoietin mRNA was first detected in kidneys at 1.5 h postanemia and reached a plateau value at least 200-fold above the control value by 4 to 8 h. A 20-base sequence immediately upstream from the reported erythropoietin mRNA initiation site is complementary to a hypervariable sequence in 18S rRNA.
Bondurant et al. (1986) studied this question.