Explain how antithrombin can be produced by biopharming. 

a. biopharming is production of recombinant proteins/drugs by using transgenic animals ✔ 

b. the gene for antithrombin is cut from human DNA ✔

c. the gene is combined with the gene producing milk protein/casein ✔

d. the recombinant gene is inserted into an embryo of the goat ✔

e. the embryo is implanted in a female goat ✔

f. a promoter sequence is transferred with the gene for antithrombin to ensure that the gene is activated in cells that produce milk ✔

g. a signal sequence is transferred with the gene ✔

h. to ensure that the mRNA is translated by ER ribosomes ✔

i. the offspring of the goat are tested for antithrombin in their milk ✔

j. offspring with the recombinant gene are selected for breeding ✔

k. antithrombin is isolated from the milk and purified ✔

l. many goats with the recombinant gene allow large scale production of antithrombin ✔

Accept other milk producing farm animal eg: goat, sheep, camel

Although many referred to the specific example of the gene for antithrombin being inserted into a goat embryo, students seemed to find it harder to define biopharming or outline specific steps needed, such as the promoter sequence being transferred with the gene for antithrombin to ensure that the gene is activated in cells that produce milk.