Ordered differential display (ODD) was used to clone differentially expressed genes in rice induced by Magnaporthe grisea. Of 37 cDNA clones initially identified by reverse Northern blot, 5 clones were chosen as probes for further Northern test. The result showed that all of these 5 clones were expressed both in highly, moderately resistant and susceptible rice lines in a pathogen inducible manner. According to the homology analysis, these clones were suggested to be involved in plant defense response by: (1) inhibiting growth of fungus and even causing its death; (2) excluding toxic compounds delivered by fungus; (3) priming signal transduction; (4) and/or regulating metabolic activities in agreement with plant defense.