https://pages.htgaa.org/2026b/camila-naranjo/week-02-hw-dna-design/index.htmlPart 1: Define your expression target What molecule are you expressing? I’m expressing alpha-1-antitrypsin, a glycoprotein encoded by the SERPINA1 mRNA (GenBank accession K01396.1; NCBI Gene ID 526). I used the mRNA-derived CDS rather than the genomic SERPINA1 sequence because it is already spliced, contains no introns, and can be cloned directly as a continuous open reading frame into an expression vector. This protein requires post-translational modifications, so I chose CHO cells as the chassis. Moreover, this host is easier to scale up than HEK 293 cells. The protein has to be secreted, and the sequence already includes the native signal peptide, which directs the protein to the secretory pathway and is cleaved to release the mature protein, so no additional signal peptide is needed. The sequence is the following:Hugoen