Abstract:A cDNA library of rice (Oryza sativa ssp. indica cv. "Guangluai 4") etiolated shoot was constructed using Lambda ZAP Ⅱ vector. After analysing the partial sequences of 100 randomly selected clones and database comparison to rice and other plants, 13 % cDNA clones could be identified and 12 % cDNAs had high degree of sequence similarity to partial sequence from rice or other species, whose function is still unknown. The remaining 75% cDNAs showed little or no similarity to genes in the database and might represent novel genes. It demonstrates the suitability of this library for large-scale sequencing from which more information of functional genes will result.