<i>In silico</i> prediction and comparative analysis of full-length and truncated forms of duck Tembusu virus envelope proteins expressed in <i>E. coli</i> and baculovirus systems

1. Duck Tembusu virus (DTMUV) envelope (E) protein, a surface-exposed structural component, plays a key role in viral entry and induction of neutralising antibodies. However, the antigenic potential of its domains and their immunogenicity remains largely unexplored.2. In this study, <i>in silico</i> analyses were conducted to predict antigenic epitopes and guide construct design. Full-length E protein and domains were expressed in <i>E. coli</i> and baculovirus. These were used to immunise ducks. Antigenicity was evaluated as IgG titres and cytokine profiling.3. Domain III (DIII) of the E protein was the major contributor to antigenicity and is a promising subunit vaccine candidate against DTMUV.