Abstract: This review starts with a brief overview of the molecular biology techniques applied to the bioremediation of soil. The principles of the catabolic gene probe analysis of microbial community, 16S rRNA sequence analysis and fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) and their applications to monitoring the fate of contaminant-degrading microorganisms, detecting catabolic gene and analyzing the changes of microbial community in contaminated soil are highlighted. The problems and prospects of these techniques are discussed.