There are more than 20 members of the MAP3K family, many of which have the ability to activate the downstream p38 and JNK enzymes in cell culture studies, although few members of this family have been show to activate p38 and JNK in vivo.21 We have investigated the role of one of these enzymes, apoptosis signal‐regulating kinase 1 (ASK1/MAP3K5), as a mechanism of p38/JNK activation in kidney disease based on several reasons. This evidence concerns the gene MAP3K5 and kidney disorder.