John Spencer Evans Professor of Chemistry B.S. Northwestern University; Ph.D. California Institute of Technology Email: jse1@nyu.edu Phone:  212-998-9605

Areas of Research/Interest: Biomimetic or "Nature"-based materials, macromolecule-interfacial interactions, biomineralization, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, protein structure determination, mass spectrometry, computational chemistry

Research Description: Nature has created genetically engineered materials that combine the functional aspects of organic polymers with that of inorganic solids. This is best seen in biomineralizing organisms, where a wide range of crystalline and amorphous inorganic materials are assembled by proteins under ambient and extreme conditions. These hybrid materials provide mechanistic advantages and are capable of participating in energy-related tasks . As an extension of Nature, scientists now use viruses and bacteria to generate new polypeptides that recognize and bind to different artificial and biological inorganic materials. Here, these sequences can be used to assemble, organize, and construct inorganic assemblies that have application as devices, sensors, semiconductors, and other uses. Our task is to determine the molecular basis for polypeptide participation in the formation of genetically engineered materials that exist in Nature or are created in the laboratory.

Select Publications:

Collino, S, Evans, JS, Molecular characterization of a mineral modification subdomain of the aragonite associated protein, AP24.  Biomacromolecules, in press.

Kulp, JL III, Minamisawa, T, Shiba, K, Evans, JS (2007) Conformational properties of an artificial protein that regulates the nucleation of inorganic and organic crystals.  Langmuir,in press.

Kim, IW, Darragh, MR, Orme, C, Evans, JS (2006)  Molecular “tuning” of crystal growth by nacre-associated polypeptides. Crystal Growth and Design, 5: 5-10.

Collino, S, Kim, IW, Evans, JS, (2006) Identification of an “acidic” C-terminal mineral modification sequence from the mollusk shell protein, Asprich. Crystal Growth and Design, 6: 839-842.

Kim, IW, Collino, S, Morse, DE, Evans, JS (2006) A crystal modulating protein from molluscan nacre that limits the growth of calcite in vitro.  Crystal Growth and Design, 6: 1078-1082.

Kulp, JL, Shiba, K, Evans, JS. (2005) Probing the conformational features of a phage display polypeptide sequence directed against single wall carbon nanohorn surfaces.  Langmuir, 21:  11907-11914.

Kim, IW, Morse, DE, Evans, JS (2004) Molecular characterization of the 30-AA N-terminal mineral interaction domain of the biomineralization protein AP7.  Langmuir 20: 11664-11673.

Kase, D, Kulp, JL III, Yudasaka, M, Evans, JS, Iijima, S, Shiba, K (2004) Affinity selection of peptide phage libraries against single-wall carbon nanohorns identify a peptide aptamer with pH and temperature dependent conformational variability.  Langmuir 20:  3989-3991.

Kim, IW, DiMasi, E, Evans, JS, (2004) Identification of mineral modulation sequences within the nacre-associated oyster shell protein, n16.  Crystal Growth and Design 4:  1113 - 1118.

Kulp, JL III, Sarikaya, M, Evans, JS (2004) Molecular characterization of a prokaryotic polypeptide sequence that catalyzes Au crystal formation.  Journal of Materials Chemistry 14: 2325-2332.

Wustman, BA, Morse, DE, Evans, JS (2004) Structural characterization of the N-terminal mineral modification domains from the molluscan crystal-modulating biomineralization proteins, AP7 and AP24.  Biopolymers 74: 363-376.

Michenfelder, M, Fu, G, Lawrence, C, Weaver, JC, Wustman, BA, Taranto, L, Evans, JS (2003) Characterization of two molluscan crystal-modulating biomineralization proteins and identification of putative mineral binding domains.  Biopolymers 70: 522-533; errata 73: 522.

Evans, JS (2003) Apples and oranges:  Comparing the structural aspects of biomineral- and ice-interaction proteins.   Current Opinion in Colloid and Interface Science 8:  48-54.

Fellowships/Honors: Whitaker Foundation Bioengineering Young Investigator Award (1994); National Science Foundation CAREER Award (1995); US Army Research Office Young Investigator Award (1998)