Experimental models of autoimmune diseases MCQs With Answer

Introduction: Experimental models of autoimmune diseases are essential tools in Immunotechnology for M. Pharm students to understand disease mechanisms, identify therapeutic targets, and evaluate novel immunomodulatory drugs. This collection of MCQs focuses on commonly used animal and in vitro models such as EAE, collagen-induced arthritis, NOD mice, MRL/lpr and NZB/W F1, toxin-induced demyelination, and passive transfer systems. Questions emphasize induction methods, immunopathology, key cell types and cytokines, readouts, strengths and limitations, and translational relevance for drug development. These MCQs are designed to deepen conceptual understanding and prepare students for practical applications in preclinical immunopharmacology and research methodology.

Q1. Which method is commonly used to induce experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) in rodents?

• Administration of streptozotocin
• Immunization with collagen type II in CFA
• Immunization with myelin proteins (e.g., MBP or MOG) in adjuvant
• Injection of pristane oil

Correct Answer: Immunization with myelin proteins (e.g., MBP or MOG) in adjuvant

Q2. Collagen-induced arthritis (CIA), a commonly used model for rheumatoid arthritis, is typically induced by:

• Repeated intraperitoneal injections of streptozotocin
• Immunization with type II collagen emulsified in Complete Freund’s Adjuvant
• Passive transfer of anti-dsDNA antibodies
• Administration of cuprizone in the diet

Correct Answer: Immunization with type II collagen emulsified in Complete Freund’s Adjuvant

Q3. Which animal model is widely used for studying spontaneous autoimmune type 1 diabetes?

• MRL/lpr mice
• NZB/W F1 mice
• Non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice
• SKG mice

Correct Answer: Non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice

Q4. The lpr mutation carried by MRL/lpr mice causes severe lupus-like disease due to a defect in which gene?

• CTLA-4
• Fas (CD95)
• Foxp3
• MyD88

Correct Answer: Fas (CD95)

Q5. Pristane-induced lupus models are primarily useful because they:

• Induce organ-specific autoimmunity limited to pancreas
• Generate persistent anti-dsDNA autoantibodies and glomerulonephritis
• Cause toxin-mediated demyelination of CNS
• Produce spontaneous thyroiditis without adjuvant

Correct Answer: Generate persistent anti-dsDNA autoantibodies and glomerulonephritis

Q6. Which experimental approach is most direct to demonstrate the pathogenicity of B cell–derived autoantibodies?

• Gene knockout of IL-17
• Adoptive transfer of antigen-specific T cells
• Passive transfer of serum or purified autoantibodies into naïve recipients
• Feeding mice a diet with cuprizone

Correct Answer: Passive transfer of serum or purified autoantibodies into naïve recipients

Q7. Which adjuvant is classically used to enhance autoimmune responses when immunizing animals to create many autoimmunity models?

• Alum (aluminum hydroxide)
• Freund’s Complete Adjuvant (CFA) containing heat-killed Mycobacteria
• Poly(I:C)
• Monophosphoryl lipid A (MPLA)

Correct Answer: Freund’s Complete Adjuvant (CFA) containing heat-killed Mycobacteria

Q8. Which T cell subset has been implicated as a key driver of pathology in many autoimmune models of central nervous system inflammation?

• CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes
• Regulatory T cells (Tregs)
• CD4+ Th17 cells
• Invariant NKT cells

Correct Answer: CD4+ Th17 cells

Q9. Which cytokine blockade has been most extensively validated in collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) as a therapeutic strategy?

• Interferon-gamma (IFN-γ)
• Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β)
• Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α)
• Interleukin-4 (IL-4)

Correct Answer: Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α)

Q10. Genetic susceptibility to many autoimmune models is strongly influenced by which component of the immune system?

• Toll-like receptor polymorphisms
• B cell receptor heavy chain isotype
• Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II alleles (e.g., HLA-DR)
• Fc gamma receptor expression on neutrophils

Correct Answer: Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II alleles (e.g., HLA-DR)

Q11. Which model is primarily a toxin-induced demyelination model used to study remyelination rather than immune-mediated demyelination?

• Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE)
• Cuprizone-induced demyelination model
• Collagen-induced arthritis (CIA)
• Pristane-induced lupus

Correct Answer: Cuprizone-induced demyelination model

Q12. Which spontaneous mouse model is classically associated with anti-dsDNA antibodies and immune complex glomerulonephritis, resembling human SLE?

• Non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice
• NZB/W F1 mice
• DBA/1 mice with CIA
• OT-I transgenic mice

Correct Answer: NZB/W F1 mice

Q13. Which experimental manipulation allows researchers to study the effect of a single gene on autoimmune susceptibility and pathogenesis?

• Passive serum transfer
• Gene knockout or targeted gene deletion in mice
• Administration of CFA alone
• Adoptive transfer of whole splenocytes without characterization

Correct Answer: Gene knockout or targeted gene deletion in mice

Q14. What are common readouts to assess disease severity in collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) during preclinical therapeutic testing?

• Blood glucose monitoring and insulin levels
• Clinical scoring of paw swelling, histopathology of joints, and radiographic assessment
• Electroencephalography (EEG) recordings
• Urinary protein electrophoresis only

Correct Answer: Clinical scoring of paw swelling, histopathology of joints, and radiographic assessment

Q15. Adoptive transfer of encephalitogenic T cells into naïve animals is used to demonstrate:

• That B cells are solely responsible for EAE pathology
• That innate immune cells cannot initiate CNS autoimmunity
• That antigen-specific T cells alone can transfer autoimmune disease
• That dietary factors are the primary cause of EAE

Correct Answer: That antigen-specific T cells alone can transfer autoimmune disease

Q16. In lupus models, which autoantibody is most commonly measured as a biomarker of disease activity?

• Anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPA)
• Anti-TSH receptor antibodies
• Anti-double-stranded DNA (anti-dsDNA) antibodies
• Anti-acetylcholine receptor antibodies

Correct Answer: Anti-double-stranded DNA (anti-dsDNA) antibodies

Q17. Humanized HLA transgenic mice are particularly valuable in autoimmunity research because they:

• Express human cytokines constitutively
• Eliminate the need for adjuvants to induce disease
• Allow study of human MHC-restricted antigen presentation and T cell responses
• Are resistant to all autoimmune disease induction

Correct Answer: Allow study of human MHC-restricted antigen presentation and T cell responses

Q18. A major limitation of animal models of autoimmune disease when translating to human therapeutics is:

• They always overestimate drug toxicity compared with humans
• They perfectly mimic human disease pathology
• Species-specific immune differences and incomplete recapitulation of human disease complexity
• They require no ethical oversight, reducing relevance

Correct Answer: Species-specific immune differences and incomplete recapitulation of human disease complexity

Q19. Which experimental model is commonly used to demonstrate pathogenicity of antibodies in autoimmune blistering diseases like pemphigus?

• Adoptive transfer of Treg cells into adult mice
• Neonatal mouse passive transfer model with pathogenic IgG
• Cuprizone feeding to adult mice
• Injection of collagen type II into the ear

Correct Answer: Neonatal mouse passive transfer model with pathogenic IgG

Q20. Blocking which pathway has been effective in reducing disease severity in EAE and is a target for therapeutic antibodies evaluated in preclinical models?

• IL-10 signaling
• IL-17 signaling
• Insulin receptor pathway
• Complement C3b cleavage only

Correct Answer: IL-17 signaling

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