Apolipophorin-III expression and low density lipophorin formation during embryonic development of the silkworm, Bombyx mori

We examined the expression of apolipophorin-III (apoLp-III) during embryonic development of the silkworm Bombyx mori. ApoLp-III mRNA was first expressed 24 h after oviposition, which corresponds to the time of germ band formation. The amount of apoLp-III in the eggs increased from day 2, peaked on day 4, and then gradually decreased until hatching (on day 9.5). ApoLp-III was apparently synthesized during early embryogenesis, as radioactive amino acids were incorporated into newly synthesized apoLp-III in three-day-old eggs. Moreover, radioactive apoLp-III was found only in the embryo and not in the extraembryonic tissue. KBr density gradient ultracentrifugation of egg homogenates showed that apoLp-III was associated with low-density lipophorin (LDLp). These results suggest that LDLp is required for the delivery of lipids for organogenesis during embryogenesis.