Songkun Su

Biography

ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS: Ph.D. in Agronomy, Zhejiang University, China. M.S.in Engineering, Zhejiang University, China. B.S. in Agronomy, Fujian Agriculture University, China. RESEARCH EXPERIENCE: Our major research fields include honeybee genetics and breeding, behavior, molecular biology, functional factors in royal jelly, high and new technology applied in pollen process. We bred “Zhenongda No.1” Italian bee breed with high royal jelly and honey production with our colleagues successfully, and continue to cultivate new honey bee breed with high production and anti-chalkbrood, anti-virus well. A new gene chip（Agilent）of honeybee covering 11689 genes was designed and prepared, and 369 differentially expressed genes were detected between High Royal Jelly Breed and Low Royal Jelly Breed, and three genes were successfully verified to be the molecular markers relating to high royal jelly production trait. We concentrate at the waggle dance behavior of honey bee and try to discover the molecular base (biogenic amines, microRNA, gene expression profile, proteins) relating to the magic communication style in bee world. We cloned four major royal jelly protein genes (mrjps) of Apis cerana cerana and expressed them in Bombyx mori larvae and determined the functions of their expression products. We extracted functional components from royal jelly using organic membrane and got patent. Using next-generation sequencing technology, we determined and analyzed the digital gene expression profiles and microRNA in foragers, nurse workers, dancers of Apis mellifera ligustica and foragers of Apis cerana cerana. We discovered the fermentation mechanism from pollen to bee bread and use the principle to process pollen with lactic acid bacteria into artificial bee bread, which is similar to the process from milk to yoghurt.

Research Interest

Molecular Biology of Honeybee (Molecular base relating to traits), Honeybee Breeding (High Royal Jelly Yield and Disease Resistance), Behavior of Honeybee (Dance Language, Labor Division), Functional Factors in Bee Products (Major royal jelly proteins; Microorganism in the process from pollen to bee bread )