Epstein-Barr virus: clinical and epidemiological revisits and genetic basis of oncogenesis

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is classified as a member in the order herpesvirales, family herpesviridae, subfamily gammaherpesvirinae and the genus lymphocytovirus. The virus is an exclusively human pathogen and thus also termed as human herpesvirus 4 (HHV4). It was the first oncogenic virus recognized and has been incriminated in the causation of tumors of both lymphatic and epithelial nature. It was reported in some previous studies that 95% of the population worldwide are serologically positive to the virus. Clinically, EBV primary infection is almost silent, persisting as a life-long asymptomatic latent infection in B cells although it may be responsible for a transient clinical syndrome called infectious mononucleosis. Following reactivation of the virus from latency due to immunocompromised status, EBV was found to be associated with several tumors. EBV linked to oncogenesis as detected in lymphoid tumors such as Burkitt's lymphoma (BL), Hodgkin's disease (HD), post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorders (PTLD) and T-cell lymphomas (e.g. Peripheral T-cell lymphomas; PTCL and Anaplastic large cell lymphomas; ALCL). It is also linked to epithelial tumors such as nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), gastric carcinomas and oral hairy leukoplakia (OHL). In vitro, EBV many studies have demonstrated its ability to transform B cells into lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs). Despite these malignancies showing different clinical and epidemiological patterns when studied, genetic studies have suggested that these EBV- associated transformations were characterized generally by low level of virus gene expression with only the latent virus proteins (LVPs) upregulated in both tumors and LCLs. In this review, we summarize some clinical and epidemiological features of EBV- associated tumors. We also discuss how EBV latent genes may lead to oncogenesis in the different clinical malignancie

Another look at the Pleistocene climates of South Africa.

Reviews changes in thinking about the Pleistocene climates of Southern Africa since the demise of the pluvial hypothesis. The coldest and relatively dry part of the late Pleistocene was between 30 000 and 16 000 years ago and was followed by a rapid amelioration of climates consistent with other evidence from the S hemisphere. -from Autho

Systematics of the dung beetle tribe Sisyphini Mulsant (Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) inferred from a molecular phylogeny and biogeography of southern African species

Supplementary material: Table S1. Primers used for PCR amplification. Table S2. New sequences submitted to GenBank. Table S3. Distribution of sisyphine species in southern African climatic regions. \ Table S4. Distribution of Epirinus species in southern African climatic regions. Table S5. Global information from the S‐DIVA analysis. Figure S1. Bayesian phylogram of combined dataset analysis (COI, 16S, CAD and 28S domain 2). Posterior probabilities are given for each node. Figure S2. Maximum likelihood phylogram of combined dataset analysis (COI, 16S, CAD and 28S domain 2). Bootstrap support is given for each node.The tribe Sisyphini Mulsant was recently redefined following the transfer of the endemic southern African genus Epirinus Dejean from the polyphyletic tribe Deltochilini Lacordaire. A molecular phylogeny of the southern African members of Sisyphini supports Epirinus as sister to Sisyphus Latreille and recovered three major clades in Sisyphus classified here as subgenera Sisyphus (Neosisyphus Müller) stat. rev., Sisyphus (Parasisyphus Barbero, Palestrini & Zunino) stat.n. and Sisyphus (Sisyphus) stat.n. A molecular clock analysis suggests that Sisyphus and Epirinus diverged from their last common ancestor during the Lower to Middle Oligocene (c. 29.37 Ma). Biogeographical analysis indicated that southern African Sisyphus species are centred in the east and northeast in Highveld grassland and warmer savannah regions. By contrast, Epirinus species are largely restricted to the southwest and southeast in the cooler winter and bimodal rainfall regions plus arid highland Karoo and Highveld grasslands. Based on morphological and biogeographical differences between Epirinus and Sisyphus, we propose that the monogeneric Epirinus be placed in its own tribe, Epirinini van Lansberge stat. rev.An National Research Foundation of South Africa (NRF) grant to CLS and CHS. GMD thanks the NRF for a Doctoral Innovation Scholarship (process number: 109628), and the University of Pretoria for the postgraduate financial support. GMD also thanks the Stanley W. Watson Foundation Education (Falmouth, MA, U.S.A.) which awarded a trip grant to attend the Workshop in Molecular Evolution‐2017, at the Marine Biological Laboratory, University of Chicago, Woods Hole, MA, U.S.A.https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/136531132021-01-01hj2019Zoology and Entomolog