Abstract: BACKGROUND ＆ AIM：To study the expression of heat shock protein 47(HSP47) in normal forelimbs and short forelimb malformations，normal palates and cleft palates during mouse embryogenesis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: At GD10, gestational mice of the treatment and the control groups were administered with 80 mg/kg all-trans retinoic acid and the same volume vegetable oil separately. The forelimbs of embryos were harvested in GD11-GD18，and the normal palates and cleft palates were obtained in GD15-GD17. The relative abundance of HSP47 of all samples was measured by reverse transcript polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). RESULTS: HSP47 was expressed in all samples. To the normal forelimbs and short forelimb malformations, with the embryos aging, there was the increasing tendency of the expressional abundance of HSP47 in GD11-GD18，their peaks of expression were especially at GD16 and GD17, and kept stable in the following age. The expressional abundance of HSP47 of the normal palates was stable in GD15-GD17, and the peak of that of the cleft palates was at GD16. The expression of HSP47 of the abnormal limbs was stronger than that of the normal limbs in GD11-GD18. The expression of HSP47 of the cleft palates has no difference with that of the normal palates in GD15, but it was stronger than that of the cleft palates in GD16-GD17. CONLUSION: The expressional abundance of HSP47 in normal limbs and short limb malformations，normal palates and cleft palates induced by all-trans retinoic acid during mouse embryogenesis was increased by stress action.

Key words: heat shock protein 47, embryo, limbs, palates, development