Hepatocyte death is an important contributing factor in a number of diseases of the liver. PHD1 confers hypoxic sensitivity upon transcription factors including the hypoxia inducible factor (HIF) and nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappa B). Reduced PHD1 activity is linked to decreased apoptosis. Here, we investigated the underlying mechanism(s) in hepatocytes. Basal NF-kappa B activity was elevated in PHD1(-/-) hepatocytes compared to wild type controls. ChIP-seq analysis confirmed enhanced binding of NF-kappa B to chromatin in regions proximal to the promoters of genes involved in the regulation of apoptosis. Inhibition of NF-kappa B (but not knock-out of HIF-1 or HIF-2) reversed the anti-apoptotic effects of pharmacologic hydroxylase inhibition. We hypothesize that PHD1 inhibition leads to altered expression of NF-kappa B-dependent genes resulting in reduced apoptosis. This study provides new information relating to the possible mechanism of therapeutic action of hydroxylase inhibitors that has been reported in pre-clinical models of intestinal and hepatic disease. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.