A WINDOWS SOFTWARE PACKAGE TO RECORD FROM VOLTAGE-CLAMPED XENOPUS OOCYTES

We have written a software package to record, display and analyze memb rane currents elicited by neurotransmitter receptors or voltage-activa ted channels in voltage-clamped Xenopus oocytes. This suite, which con sists of 4 applications, runs on IBM-PC compatible microcomputers unde r Windows 3.1. The recording programs use Direct Memory Access (DMA) t o access the analog-digital board. The first program, NicPulse, is aim ed at studying voltage-activated channels. It delivers voltage steps t o the voltage-clamp and records the resulting membrane current. The se cond program, NicScope, emulates a dual-trace digital oscilloscope. It operates either in continuous or triggered mode, and is used chiefly to display neurotransmitter-induced responses in oocytes. The third re cording program, VRamp, automatically determines the voltage-current r elationship of drug-activated responses (I/V curve), by applying a vol tage ramp and recording the subsequent clamping current. The last prog ram, NicView, is designed to analyze records taken with NicScope and N icPulse. The present paper will discuss several issues regarding the d esign of these programs, and will give a brief description of each app lication.