Abstract Premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) often arises from genetic causes, yet the pathogenic consequences of many variants remain undefined. The AARS2 R199C mutation has been repeatedly reported in patients, but its physiological effects were unknown. Here, we generated the first homozygous Aars2 R194C knock-in mouse to model this variant in vivo. Female knock-in mice showed irregular estrous cycles, reduced fecundity, altered endocrine profiles, and accelerated depletion of the primordial follicle pool, reproducing core features of POI. Mutant ovaries exhibited increased lysine lactylation of the metabolic enzymes pyruvate dehydrogenase alpha 1(PDHA1) and carnitine palmitoyltransferase 2(CPT2), accompanied by reduced activity and impaired mitochondrial respiration in granulosa cells. These metabolic defects were associated with sustained activation of the mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) pathway and premature follicle activation. Loss of the mitochondrial de-lactylase Sirtuin-3 mitigated these abnormalities, whereas pharmacological inhibition of pyruvate dehydrogenase and carnitine palmitoyltransferase in wild-type mice phenocopied key knock-in features. Together, these findings demonstrate that the Aars2 R194C/R199C mutation alone is sufficient to induce POI and establish a lactylation-driven metabolic mechanism underlying early follicle activation.
Zhang et al. (2026) studied this question.