Summary
Research Interests
Homing Endonuclease Genes (HEGs).
We have been studying the evolutionary dynamics of these nonMendelian selfish genes, particularly in yeasts.
Population Genetic Engineering.
I am interested in using selfish genetic elements to genetically manipulate natural populations; our first targets are the mosquitoes that transmit malaria.
Population Genomics and Phylogenetics of Yeasts.
The tremendous amount that is known about the biochemistry, genetics, and cell biology of yeasts makes them ideal model systems for addressing questions in evolutionary and population biology.
Molecular Ecology of a Pathogenic Mammal.
Canine Transmissible Venereal Tumor (CTVT) is a sexually transmitted parasitic cell line currently circulating in feral dog populations; we are interested in its origins and how it has adapted to its new way of life.
Selected publications
Windbichler N, Menichelli M, Papathanos PA, Thyme SB, Li H, Ulge UY, Hovde BT, Baker D, Monnat RJ, Burt A, Crisanti A, 2011 A synthetic homing endonuclease-based gene drive system in the human malaria mosquito. Nature 473:212-215 (doi)
Rebbeck CA, Leroi AM, Burt A, 2011 Mitochondrial capture by a transmissible cancer. Science 331:303 (doi)
Tsai IJ, Burt A, Koufopanou V, 2010 Conservation of recombination hotspots in yeast. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 107:7847-7852 (doi)
Tsai IJ, Bensasson D, Burt A, Koufopanou V, 2008 Population genomics of the wild yeast Saccharomyces paradoxus: Quantifying the life cycle. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA105 4957-4962 (doi)
Goddard MR, Godfray HC, Burt A, 2005 Sex increases the efficacy of natural selection in experimental yeast populations. Nature 434:636-640 (doi)
Burt A, Koufopanou V, 2004 Homing endonuclease genes: the rise and fall and rise again of a selfish element. Curr Opin Genet Dev 14:609-615 (doi)
Burt A, 2003 Site-specific selfish genes as tools for the control and genetic engineering of natural populations. Proc Roy Soc Lond B 270:921-928 (doi)
Book
Genes in Conflict: The Biology of Selfish Genetic Elements
Austin Burt and Robert Trivers
Detailed contents [PDF format]
Information @ Harvard University Press website
Publications
Journals
Burt A, Godfray HCJ, North A, How gene-drive endonucleases can be used to combat pests and disease vectors, Bmc Biology, ISSN:1741-7007
Burt A, Deredec A, 2018, Self-limiting population genetic control with sex-linked genome editors, Proceedings of the Royal Society B-biological Sciences, Vol:285, ISSN:0962-8452
Lambert B, North A, Burt A, et al., 2018, The use of driving endonuclease genes to suppress mosquito vectors of malaria in temporally variable environments, Malaria Journal, Vol:17, ISSN:1475-2875
Burt A, Crisanti A, 2018, Gene Drive: Evolved and Synthetic, Acs Chemical Biology, Vol:13, ISSN:1554-8929, Pages:343-346
Benedict MQ, Burt A, Capurro ML, et al., 2018, Recommendations for Laboratory Containment and Management of Gene Drive Systems in Arthropods, Vector-borne and Zoonotic Diseases, Vol:18, ISSN:1530-3667, Pages:2-13