The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the developmental changes of the experimental hydronephrotic kidney using immunohistochemical, histoplanimetrical, and Northern blot techniques. At 1 month after ligation of the ureter, a large number of renin-positive cells were detected immunohistochemically even at a dilution of 1:10,000 in this hydronephrotic kidney; however, there were few renin-positive cells in the non-ligated side. At 6 months after ligation, no difference in reactivity for renin between ligated and non-ligated kidneys was demonstrated. In the morphometrical analysis of the renin-positive region, the numerical value of the ligated side was already increased at 2 weeks, reached the highest value at 1 month, and then decreased gradually to almost the same value as the control kidney by the end of the experiment. On the other hand, the value of the non-ligated side decreased immediately after the unilateral ligation, increased later, and finally reached almost the same value as the control kidney. In the Northern blot analysis, the activity of renin mRNA in the ligated side at 1 month after ligation was markedly higher than that in the non-ligated side. However, the difference between the ligated and the non-ligated sides was not demonstrated at 6 months and the value came to be almost the same as in the non-operated kidney.