Identification and Characterization of Three Novel Iflaviruses in the Cabbage Whitefly Aleyrodes proletella

The cabbage whitefly (<i>A. proletella</i>) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) is a major agricultural pest that primarily targets cruciferous crops, such as cabbage, broccoli, and kale, causing extensive damage through feeding and honeydew. However, its associated virome has received limited research attention. In this study, we collected cabbage whiteflies in Xinjiang Agricultural University (43.80833 N, 87.56778 E, 882.3 m), systematically identified the RNA virome of the <i>A. proletella</i> and successfully identified three novel iflaviruses (Aleyrodes proletella iflavirus 1 (APIV1), Aleyrodes proletella iflavirus 2 (APIV2) and Aleyrodes proletella iflavirus 3 (APIV3)). APIV1-3 all have a 5' structural protein region and a 3' non-structural protein region. Phylogenetic and sequence identity analyses suggest that APIV1-3 are novel members of the family <i>Iflaviridae</i>. Structural modeling using AlphaFold3 revealed a conserved protein core region and a variable outer loop region. This study provides valuable insights into the virome diversity of <i>A. proletella</i>, establishing a foundation for future research on virus-host interactions and the potential for biocontrol applications in sustainable agriculture.