Abstract: The objective of this study is to determine the relationship between energy intake and abundance of apoE mRNA in liver of periparturient dairy cows. At 28 days before parturition, thirty multiparous periparturient Holstein cows were randomly divided into three groups fed with 100% energy diet (China Dairy Cow Raise Standard, 2000), 120% energy diet and 80% energy diet, respectively. After parturition, all the cows were offered criteria day provisions until 56 days postpartum. Relative expression of apoE mRNA in liver tissue was increased by degrees before parturition, peaked at 1 day after parturition and decreased gradually after parturition in the dairy cows fed with 80%, 100% and 120% energy diets. Relative expression of apoE mRNA in liver tissue of postpartum was higher than that of antepartum in three treatments(except for 56 days after parturition). Abundance of apoE mRNA in liver was significantly higher in the cows fed with 80% energy diet than in the cows fed with 100% and 120% energy diets from 14 days before parturition to 28 days after parturition（P<0.05或P<0.01） , and was significantly higher in the cows fed with 120% energy diet than in the cows fed with 100% energy diet from 28 days to 56 days after parturition(P<0.01). It is concluded that increasing energy intake in the dry cows could reduce the expression of apoE mRNA in liver, oppositely, reducing energy intake in the dry cows could increase the expression of apoE mRNA in liver of periparturient dairy cows.