In vitro studies using human bronchial epithelial cells have shown that the house dust mite antigen, DerP1, induces p38-dependent cell apoptosis and intracellular oxidative stress [5], while in mice p38 is essential for allergen induced epithelial production of IL-25 and thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP), which are both initiators of the Type-2 allergic response in asthma [10]. This evidence concerns the gene MAPK14 and asthma.