Organic solvent tolerant microorganism (OSTM) is a novel extremophile and it hasn't been systematically studied until 1980s. Relying on certain mechanisms, the OSTM is able to effectively defend and decrease the toxicity from organic solvents, which enable the OSTM to be potentially applied in the industrial fields such as whole-cell catalysis and environmental treatment, etc. The comprehensively understanding of the mechanisms involved in organic solvent tolerance of OSTM could be combined with genetic engineering in order to modify and optimize the various specifications of OSTM, and further broaden its application in other industrial areas. Latest studies on the tolerant mechanisms of OSTM, in this paper, will be reviewed from four aspects such as vesicle exocytosis and changes of phospholipid composition in membrane, etc. Besides, the application of OSTM in whole-cell catalysis and other fields will be introduced.