Abstract
To generate new hypotheses, sometimes a "systems" approach is needed. In this review, I focus on the mitogen-activated kinase p38 because it has been recently shown to play an important role in the developmental programing and senescence of normal and stressed reproductive tissues. What follows is an overview of (i) pathways of p38 activation and their involvement in basic biological processes, (ii) evidence that p38 is involved in the homeostasis of reproductive tissues, (iii) how focus on p38 can be incorporated into investigation of normal and stressed pregnancies. Existence of excellent reviews will be mentioned as well as relevant animal models.