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 Sarcoma (CTVS) 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

Goddard MR, Godfray HCJ, Burt A 2005 Sex increases the efficacy of natural selection in experimental yeast populations. Nature 434:636-640 (publication)

Koufopanou V, Burt A 2005 Degeneration and domestication of a selfish gene in yeast: molecular evolution versus site-directed mutagenesis. Mol Biol Evol 22:1535-1538

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 (publication)

Johnson LJ, Koufopanou V, Goddard MR, Hetherington R, Schäfer SM, Burt A 2004 Population genetics of the wild yeast Saccharomyces paradoxus. Genetics 166:43-52 (publication)

Leroi AM, Koufopanou V, Burt A 2003 Cancer selection. Nat Rev Cancer 3:226-231 (publication)

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 (publication)

Koufopanou V, Goddard MR, Burt A 2002 Adaptation for horizontal transfer in a homing endonuclease. Mol Biol Evol 19:239-246 (publication)