• As an undergrad at the University of Richmond, a liberal arts college a lot like ԰, I had an “aha!” moment when I took biochemistry: I wanted to ask biology questions through the lens of chemistry. I carried out undergraduate research in Michelle Hamm’s lab, where we studied the replication of oxidatively damaged DNA. After Richmond, I worked for two years as a technician and lab manager in Joel Meyer’s toxicology lab at Duke University, studying the impacts of environmental mutagenesis on mitochondrial DNA. During my time at Duke, I discovered a passion for teaching and training undergraduate students in the lab, which led me to a graduate program at Cornell University. There, I shifted gears to the study of Golgi membrane trafficking in Chris Fromme’s lab, where I learned to tackle complex problems with an array of approaches, including protein biochemistry, cell and molecular biology, and structural biology. I then returned to mtDNA questions during my postdoc in Bill Copeland’s lab at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, before coming to ԰ in 2023 with my own plans for an exciting research program focused on the regulatory mechanisms of mtDNA replication. I am passionate about teaching and mentoring, as well as training students in the lab. I value the curious and expansive mindset cultivated by a liberal arts education, and I look forward to helping ԰ students find their passions and grow into lifelong learners and leaders.

    • Postdoc in Biochemistry, The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
    • Ph.D. in Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology, Cornell University
    • B.S. in Biochemistry and B.A. in Latin American and Iberian Studies, University of Richmond
    • Gustafson MA*, Perera L*, Shi M, and Copeland WC. “Mechanisms of SSBP1 variants in mitochondrial disease: Molecular dynamics simulations reveal stable tetramers with altered DNA binding surfaces.” DNA Repair. 2021 Aug;107:103212. doi: 10.1016/j.dnarep.2021.103212
    • Gustafson MA*, Sullivan ED*, and Copeland WC. “Consequences of compromised mitochondrial genome integrity.” DNA Repair. 2020 Sep;93:102916. doi: 10.1016/j.dnarep.2020.102916
    • Gustafson MA*, McCormick EM*, Perera L*, Longley MJ, Bai R, Kong J, Dulik M, Shen L, Goldstein AC, McCormack SE, Laskin BL, Leroy BP, Ortiz-Gonzalez XR, Ellington MG, Copeland WC, and Falk MJ. “Mitochondrial single-stranded DNA binding protein novel de novo SSBP1 mutation in a child with single large-scale mtDNA deletion (SLSMD) clinically manifesting as Pearson, Kearns-Sayre, and Leigh syndromes.” PLOS ONE. 2019 Sep 3;14(9):e0221829. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0221829
    • Gustafson MA and Fromme JC. “Regulation of Arf activation occurs via distinct mechanisms at early and late Golgi compartments.” Mol Biol Cell. 2017 Dec 1;28(25):3660-3671. doi: 10.1091/mbc.E17-06-0370
    • Kasiviswanathan R*, Gustafson MA*, Copeland WC, and Meyer JN. “Human mitochondrial DNA polymerase γ exhibits potential for bypass and mutagenesis at UV-induced cyclobutane thymine dimers.” J Biol Chem. 2012 Mar 16;287(12):9222-9. doi: 10.1074/jbc.M111.306852
    • Hamm ML, Crowley KA, Ghio M, Del Giorno L, Gustafson MA, Kindler KE, Ligon CW, Lindell MA, McFadden EJ, Siekavizza-Robles C, and Summers MR. “Importance of the C2, N7, and C8 positions to the mutagenic potential of 8-Oxo-2'-deoxyguanosine with two A family polymerases.” Biochemistry. 2011 Dec 13;50(49):10713-23. doi: 10.1021/bi201383c
    • Mitochondrial DNA Replication
    • Protein Biochemistry
    • Cell and Molecular Biology
    • Yeast Genetics
    • Structural Biology

    The Gustafson Lab is focused on understanding the molecular decision-making involved in high fidelity mitochondrial DNA replication in the fission yeast model Schizosaccharomyces pombe. We use approaches in protein biochemistry, cell and molecular biology, genetics, microscopy, and structural biology to identify and characterize molecular- and atomic-level interactions that help maintain mtDNA integrity.

    • Biochemistry I

    • Biochemistry Lab

    • NIEHS 2021 Group Merit Award: For the seamless and effective conversion of outreach and research training activities to a virtual platform during the COVID-19 pandemic
    • Harry and Samuel Mann Outstanding Graduate Student Award 2016
    • George P. Hess Travel Award 2015
    • Rita and Joe Calvo Graduate Student Teaching Award 2013