Abstract: Mitogen-activated protein kinases（MAPK）, a kind of serine/threonine protein kinases conserved highly in long-term evolution of eukaryotes, play important roles in many organisms, including cell growth, differentiation, apoptosis, inflammation, cytoskeletal rearrangement and stress stimulation. P38MAPK is an important member of MAPK family, meanwhile P38α is the most important subtype of P38MAPK. It plays some important roles in the female reproductive system. When ovary was stimulated by internal hormones or external factors, the P38αMAPK signaling pathway was activated. After that, a variety of cellular factors were expressed, which regulated the growth and development of germ cells by regulating the granulosa cell development and oocyte meiotic events. Activating the P38αMAPK pathways of granulosa cell can regulate its secretion of hormones and cytokines，which contribute to the oocyte maturation. Since P38αMAPK may be involved in the process of oocyte meiosis, the downregulation of P38α may result in the reduced number of maturational oocytes or the aneuploid oocytes.

Key words: p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases, Oocytes, Granulosa cells, Meiosis, Growth and development