To define the molecular mechanism of initiation and termination of diapause during the embryogenesis of silkworm, Bombyx mori, mRNA transcripts from diapausing eggs and diapause activated eggs were compared with differential expression using cDNA array. Among those clones, mRNA transcript from hsp20.8A, which was expressed at a high level in diapausing eggs that had been incubated at $25^{circ}C$ for 30 days after oviposition, whereas, in the eggs exposed to $15^{circ}C$ for 30 days, $5^{circ}C$ for 60 days, the expression of mRNA decreased. On the other hand, the expression of mRNA during embryogenesis observed abundantly at 4 to 6 days after heat-HCl treatment and later at 9 to 10 days after just before hatching. This result was suggested for us that hsp20.8A was expressed in response to embryogenesis as well as physical stress.