Abstract
New Zealand suffers greatly from invasive mammal predators including rats, stoats, feral cats and possums all of which not only damage or prey on New Zealand's unique terrestrial biodiversity, but also have huge impact on NZ's economy as many of these pests act as vectors of disease to farm and game animals. As such, the NZ government has invested nearly $90 m to support an ambitious plan to make the country predator free by 2050. Although there are adequate means to control invasive predator populations, it is widely agreed that current technologies are not sufficient for total eradication and that improved technologies are required. The Achilles Heel approach is one such developmental technology that attempts to exploit variation in the genes of target species that are vital to key physiological or cellular pathways within the body, such that interference with these genes will cause a species-specific death without the harmful effects on the environment and non-targets species that the current suite of control agents engender. Interference could either be through species-specific gene knock-down using such agents as siRNA and/or the use of species-selective chemical toxicants specifically developed against these targets. To assist with identifying species-specific gene targets in the New Zealand brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) we have assembled and annotated a possum mixed heart and liver transcriptome.