Abstract: Haloalkane dehalogenases are key enzymes for biodegradation of halogenated aliphatic compounds,widely distributed in various microbial species of wide geographical distributions,and of significance in practical application such as bioremediation and industrial biocatalysis.Twenty haloalkane dehalogenases have been biochemically characterized so far.In recent years,progresses have been made in the enzymatic characteristics,protein structures,and phylogenetic diversity.We reviewed the progresses of haloalkane dehalogenase in structure and function,diversity and application potential.