The measument of photosynthetic thermoluminesence (TL) is a low-cost high-performance technique. A minimum TL setup consisting
of a cooled, red-sensitive head on-type photomultiplier, high-voltage power supply, X-Y recorder, heater-installed sample
holder, Dewar flask, constant voltage power supply, thermocouple and a small flash device provides one with unique and suggestive
data concerning the electron transport on both the donor and acceptor sides of photosystem II. If necessary, the setup can
be graded up by use of aphoton counter, digital thermometer and acomputer-assisted data acquisition/analysis system.
The technique is not always good at determining the absolute values of physical parameters, but is good at detecting weak
alterations in PSII functioning induced by some treatment or mutation, especially those manifest only in higher S-states.
Measurements can usually be done with small amounts of algal whole cells, implying its useful application in screening or
preliminary characterization of genetically engineered mutants. The chapter deals with its recent applications together with
its basic phenomenology including assignments of respective emission bands.
Abreviations D1 — the 32 kDa protein of PSII reaction center - D2 — the 34 kDa protein of PSII reaction center - DCMU — 3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea - LHC — light-harvesting chlorophyll a/b complex - P680 — the reaction center chlorophyll of PSII - Phe — Pheophytin, the primary electron acceptor of PSII - PQ — plastoquinone - PSI—.photosystem I - PSII — photosystem II - QA — the primary acceptor quinone of PSII - QB — the secondary acceptor quinone of PSII - S0 – S4 — redox states of the tetranuclear-Mn in water-oxidizing enzyme - TL — thermoluminescence - YD — auxiliary electron donor to P680, Tyr 160 residue of D2 protein - Yz — regular electron donor to P680, Tyr 161 residue of D1 protein