• BS Biochemistry, Free University Berlin, Germany
• MS Biochemistry, Free University Berlin, Germany 
• PhD Biochemistry, Free University Berlin, Germany and the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
• Postdoctoral Fellow with Stephen Helfand, Molecular Biology of Aging, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT
• Postdoctoral Fellow with Stephen Helfand, Molecular Biology of Aging, Brown University, Providence, RI

• Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, California State University, Sacramento
• Instructor, University of California Berkeley, Extension
• Adjunct Professor, Department of Biology, Los Medanos College
• Floyd B. James Trustee Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, Southern Methodist University
• Assistant Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, Southern Methodist University

• T.H. Cheng Outstanding Teaching Award, Chemistry Department, CSUS
• CSUS Advancing Early Career Faculty Research and Scholarship Program (ADVANCE) Award
• Southern Methodist University Dean’s Research Council Award
• Oak Ridge Associated Universities Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award
• NIA K99 Pathways to Independence Career Development Award
• Best Poster Award; Gordon Research Conference: The Biology of Aging
• Ellison/AFAR Postdoctoral Fellow
• Glenn/AFAR Research Grant for Postdoctoral Fellows

Twin studies have shown that the contribution of hereditary factors to aging is relatively small and that environmental factors may play an additional role in determining longevity. Especially, social behaviors may be able to influence aging and longevity. Therefore, it may be possible to directly intervene in signaling pathways that modulate social behaviors and thus alter animal life span. In Drosophila, parameters for behavioral regulation and social interactions are communicated between flies through cuticular hydrocarbons (CH). These CH also function in other contexts, such as social recognition and group behavior. CH pheromones are produced by specialized cells called oenocytes and displayed on the cuticle of the animal in a sex-specific manner. During courting, fighting, or other encounters, flies exchange CH, thus communicating important social information. 

Our preliminary data show that manipulation of D. melanogaster social environment is sufficient to change fruit fly longevity. These manipulations may have positive or negative effects on social environment. E.g. flies raised at higher housing densities have more social interactions (positive social environment) and are longer-lived, while flies raised at low housing densities have fewer interactions (negative social environment, or social isolation) and have shortened life span. Our data furthermore suggest that CH are critical players in connecting the effects of the social environment to mechanisms of aging and longevity, and thus provide a testable hypothesis to investigate this connection.

We are always looking for motivated graduate and undergraduate researchers. If you are interested in working in Drosophila aging research, please email me your current CV and a brief statement of interest. 

Graduate Students

• Shay Johnson 

Undergraduate Students

• Lexi Hedrick
• Kelly Chan 
• Riya Ralh 
• Parnian Paravi 
• Belle Glaesman
• Arshnoor Lnu

Arwa Al-Rakabi, MS: Staff Research Associate, UC Davis

Samuel Brown, MS: Instructor, CSU Sacramento

Belle Glaesman, BS: PhD Student, University of Texas Southwestern

Kelly Chan, BS: DDS Student, University of the Pacific

Nang Sayoon Noi: BS, PhD Student, Rutgers University

Abigail McInnes, BS: PhD Student, UC Davis

D’Yahna Baker, BS: PhD Student, University of Kansas

Trinity Foster, BS: PhD Student, University of Chicago

Katlynn Lew, BS: SI-BONE, Sacramento

Jacqueline Thompson, BS: MD Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara School of Medicine

Jacob Posner, BS: PhD Student, UC Berkeley

Journal Articles

1. Brown, S.G., Brenman-Suttner, D.B., McInnes, A.G. §, Lew, K. , Moehring, A.J. Bauer, J.H., and Simon, A.F. (2021) Inheritance of pheromone profiles from aged D. melanogaster. micropublication BIOLOGY, micropub.biology.000459
2. Thompson, J. B., Su, O. O. §, Yang, N. §, and Bauer, J. H. (2020) Sleep-length differences are associated with altered longevity in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. Biology Open 9, bio054361
3. Joseph, N. M., Elphick, N. Y., Mohammad, S. §, and Bauer, J. H. (2018) Altered pheromone biosynthesis is associated with sex-specific changes in life span and behavior in Drosophila melanogaster. Mech Ageing Dev 176, 1-8
4. Cao, J., Lopez, R., Thacker, J.M., Moon, J.Y., Jiang, C., Morris, S.N., Bauer, J.H., Tao, P., Mason, R.P. and Lippert, A.R. (2015) Chemiluminescent Probes for Imaging H(2)S in Living Animals. Chem Sci. 6(3), 1979-1985
5. Bruemmer, K. J., Merrikhihaghi, S., Lollar, C. T., Morris, S. N., Bauer, J. H., and Lippert, A. R. (2014) (19)F magnetic resonance probes for live-cell detection of peroxynitrite using an oxidative decarbonylation reaction. Chem Commun (Camb) 50, 12311-12314
6. Chhabra, R., Kolli, S., and Bauer, J. H. (2013) Organically Grown Food Provides Health Benefits to Drosophila melanogaster. PLoS One 8, e52988
7. Morris, S. N., Coogan, C., Chamseddin, K. §, Fernandez-Kim, S. O., Kolli, S., Keller, J. N., and Bauer, J. H. (2012) Development of diet-induced insulin resistance in adult Drosophila melanogaster. Biochim Biophys Acta 1822, 1230-1237
8. Chamseddin, K. H., Khan, S. Q., Nguyen, M. L. §, Antosh, M., Morris, S. N., Kolli, S., Neretti, N., Helfand, S. L., and Bauer, J. H. (2012) takeout-dependent longevity is associated with altered Juvenile Hormone signaling. Mech Ageing Dev 133, 637-646
9. Antosh, M., Whitaker, R., Kroll, A., Hosier, S., Chang, C., Bauer, J., Cooper, L., Neretti, N., and Helfand, S. L. (2011) Comparative transcriptional pathway bioinformatic analysis of dietary restriction, Sir2, p53 and resveratrol life span extension in Drosophila. Cell Cycle 10, 904-911
10. Bauer, J. H., Chang, C., Bae, G., Morris, S. N. §, and Helfand, S. L. (2010) Dominant-negative Dmp53 extends life span through the dTOR pathway in D. melanogaster. Mech Ageing Dev 131, 193-201
11. Bauer, J.*, Antosh, M.*, Chang, C., Schorl, C., Kolli, S., Neretti, N., and Helfand, S. L. (2010) Comparative transcriptional profiling identifies takeout as a gene that regulates life span. Aging (Albany NY) 2, 298-310
12. Bauer, J. H., Morris, S. N., Chang, C., Flatt, T., Wood, J. G., and Helfand, S. L. (2009) dSir2 and Dmp53 interact to mediate aspects of CR-dependent life span extension in D. melanogaster. Aging 1, 38-48
13. Bauer, J. H., and Helfand, S. L. (2009) Sir2 and longevity: the p53 connection. Cell Cycle 8, 1821
14. Bauer, J. H., Chang, C., Morris, S. N., Hozier, S., Andersen, S. §, Waitzman, J. S. §, and Helfand, S. L. (2007) Expression of dominant-negative Dmp53 in the adult fly brain inhibits insulin signaling. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 104, 13355-13360
15. Bauer, J. H., and Helfand, S. L. (2006) New tricks of an old molecule: lifespan regulation by p53. Aging Cell 5, 437-440
16. Bauer, J. H., and Helfand, S. L. (2006) The humble fly: what a model system can reveal about the human biology of aging. Med Health R I 89, 314-315
17. Bauer, J. H., Poon, P. C., Glatt-Deeley, H., Abrams, J. M., and Helfand, S. L. (2005) Neuronal expression of p53 dominant-negative proteins in adult Drosophila melanogaster extends life span. Curr Biol 15, 2063-2068
18. Bauer, J. H., Goupil, S., Garber, G. B., and Helfand, S. L. (2004) An accelerated assay for the identification of lifespan-extending interventions in Drosophila melanogaster. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 101, 12980-12985
19. Wang, X., Bauer, J. H., Li, Y., Shao, Z., Zetoune, F. S., Cattaneo, E., and Vincenz, C. (2001) Characterization of a p75(NTR) apoptotic signaling pathway using a novel cellular model. J Biol Chem 276, 33812-33820.
20. Rigamonti, D.*, Bauer, J. H.*, De-Fraja, C., Conti, L., Sipione, S., Sciorati, C., Clementi, E., Hackam, A., Hayden, M. R., Li, Y., Cooper, J. K., Ross, C. A., Govoni, S., Vincenz, C., and Cattaneo, E. (2000) Wild-type huntingtin protects from apoptosis upstream of caspase-3. J Neurosci 20, 3705-3713.
21. Pan, G., Bauer, J. H., Haridas, V., Wang, S., Liu, D., Yu, G., Vincenz, C., Aggarwal, B. B., Ni, J., and Dixit, V. M. (1998) Identification and functional characterization of DR6, a novel death domain-containing TNF receptor. FEBS Lett 431, 351-356
22. Bauer, J. H., Liu, K. D., You, Y., Lai, S. Y., and Goldsmith, M. A. (1998) Heteromerization of the gammac chain with the interleukin-9 receptor alpha subunit leads to STAT activation and prevention of apoptosis. Journal of Biological Chemistry 273, 9255-9260

 *indicates shared 1st authorship

§ indicates undergraduate student authors

 Book Chapters

1. Bauer JH, Helfand SL. The Genetics of Dietary Modulation of Lifespan. Life History Evolution: The Genetics and Physiology of Life History Traits and Trade-Offs (Oxford University Press). (2011)

2. Helfand SL, Bauer JH, Wood JG. Calorie Restriction in Lower Organisms. Molecular Biology of Aging (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press). (2008): 73-94.