| 2024 |
AARS1 functions as a lactate sensor that binds lactate with micromolar affinity and catalyzes ATP-dependent formation of lactyl-AMP, which is then transferred to lysine acceptor residues on target proteins, establishing AARS1 as a bona fide lactyltransferase enzyme. |
In vitro biochemical assay (ATP-dependent lactylation), binding assays, proteomics |
Cell |
High |
38512451 38653238 39322678
|
| 2024 |
AARS1 lactylates p53 at lysine 120 and lysine 139 in the DNA-binding domain, hindering p53 liquid-liquid phase separation, DNA binding, and transcriptional activation, as demonstrated using constitutively lactylated p53 variants. |
Proteomics, generation of constitutively lactylated lysine variants, in vitro DNA binding assays, phase separation assays |
Cell |
High |
38653238
|
| 2024 |
AARS2 (the mitochondrial paralog) associates with cGAS and mediates its lactylation; lactylation at a specific N-terminal site abolishes cGAS liquid-like phase separation and DNA sensing in vitro and in vivo, as confirmed by a genetic code expansion lactyl-lysine incorporation system and knock-in mice. |
Co-immunoprecipitation, genetic code expansion (orthogonal system for lactyl-lysine incorporation), knock-in mouse models, in vitro phase separation assays |
Nature |
High |
39322678
|
| 2024 |
AARS1 senses intracellular lactate and translocates into the nucleus, where it lactylates and activates the YAP-TEAD complex; AARS1 itself is a Hippo target gene forming a positive-feedback loop with YAP-TEAD to promote gastric cancer cell proliferation. |
In vitro lactyltransferase assay, nuclear translocation imaging, reporter assays, loss-of-function studies |
The Journal of clinical investigation |
High |
38512451
|
| 2011 |
The CMT2N disease-associated p.Arg329His mutation in AARS1 severely reduces aminoacylation (tRNA charging) enzyme activity, as demonstrated by aminoacylation assays and yeast viability complementation assays. |
In vitro aminoacylation assay, yeast complementation assay |
Human mutation |
High |
22009580
|
| 2009 |
AlaRS (AARS1) has an inherent structural dilemma in amino acid recognition: an acidic residue required to pin down the alpha-amino group of alanine serendipitously interacts with the serine OH, explaining why serine is misactivated. Nine crystal structures and kinetic/mutational analysis provided the mechanistic basis. |
X-ray crystallography (9 structures), kinetic assays, site-directed mutagenesis |
Nature |
High |
20010690
|
| 2021 |
AARS1 variants causing trichothiodystrophy result in instability of the alanyl-tRNA synthetase protein and a reduced rate of tRNA charging (aminoacylation), as demonstrated by functional studies in patient-derived skin fibroblasts. |
tRNA charging activity assay in patient fibroblasts, protein stability assessment |
Human molecular genetics |
Medium |
33909043
|
| 2021 |
CMT2N-associated mutations in the aminoacylation domain of AlaRS (including R329H) induce structural loosening of the aminoacylation domain, enabling aberrant gain-of-function binding to neuropilin 1 (Nrp1); this interaction was confirmed in patient samples and the b1b2 domains of Nrp1 are responsible. Notably, R329H is aminoacylation-normal as a purified protein in vitro. |
X-ray crystallography, small-angle X-ray scattering, hydrogen-deuterium exchange (HDX), switchSENSE hydrodynamic diameter, protease digestion, Co-immunoprecipitation in patient cells |
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America |
High |
33753480
|
| 2016 |
Crystal structures of human C-Ala (the C-terminal domain of AlaRS) revealed that sequence divergence from prokaryotic C-Ala reshaped the domain architecture, forming a dimer interface with a DNA-binding groove; direct DNA binding by human C-Ala (but not bacterial C-Ala) was demonstrated, indicating a repurposing of this domain in higher organisms. |
X-ray crystallography (two crystal forms of human C-Ala), small-angle X-ray scattering, in vitro DNA binding assay |
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America |
High |
27911835
|
| 2017 |
D-aminoacyl-tRNA deacylase (DTD) edits mischarged Gly-tRNAAla species (generated by AARS1 mischarging) four orders of magnitude more efficiently than AARS1's own editing activity; DTD knockout in an AlaRS editing-defective background causes pronounced toxicity in E. coli, establishing DTD as a secondary cellular checkpoint for glycine mischarging by AlaRS. |
In vitro editing/deacylation kinetic assays, genetic epistasis (DTD knockout in AlaRS editing-defective background), in vivo toxicity rescue by alanine supplementation |
eLife |
High |
28362257
|
| 2018 |
CMT2N-associated AARS1 mutations include both loss-of-function (hypomorphic: p.Ser627Leu, p.Arg326Trp) and gain-of-function (hypermorphic: p.Glu337Lys) alleles; yeast complementation demonstrated the functional class of each, and aminoacylation assays confirmed p.Glu337Lys increases tRNA charging velocity. All three caused neural abnormalities in zebrafish. |
Yeast complementation assay, in vitro aminoacylation assay, zebrafish expression model |
Human molecular genetics |
High |
30124830
|
| 2018 |
The CMT2N-associated N71Y mutation of AARS1 causes mislocalization of the protein to lysosomes (instead of cytoplasm) in COS-7 cells, and expression of this mutant in N1E-115 neuronal cells inhibits neurite process growth; this inhibition is reversed by pretreatment with valproic acid. |
Immunofluorescence localization, neuronal process growth assay, pharmacological rescue |
Neuroscience research |
Medium |
30261202
|
| 2015 |
A novel AARS1 p.Gly102Arg mutation fails to complement yeast lacking AARS function, demonstrating the mutation is damaging to tRNA synthetase activity; affected individuals present with myeloneuropathy. |
Yeast complementation assay |
Neurology |
Medium |
25904691
|
| 2020 |
AARS1 deficiency variants (p.Leu298Gln; p.Arg751Gly) cause decreased aminoacylation (tRNA charging) enzymatic activity in patient-derived fibroblasts, associated with recurrent acute liver failure. |
Enzymatic activity assay in patient fibroblasts |
Molecular genetics and metabolism reports |
Medium |
33294374
|
| 2025 |
AARS1 lactylates BLM helicase at Lys24, improving BLM protein stability by inhibiting MIB1-mediated ubiquitination and increasing its interaction with DNA repair factors, thereby promoting DNA end resection and homologous recombination repair, which drives chemoresistance to anthracyclines. |
Co-immunoprecipitation, mass spectrometry, global lactylome profiling, Lys24 mutation (delactylation), ubiquitination assay |
Signal transduction and targeted therapy |
Medium |
40634292
|
| 2025 |
AARS1 lactylates histone H3K18 and STAT1, and interacts with STAT1 to jointly regulate ELOVL5 transcription, inducing lipid peroxidation and ferroptosis in diabetic nephropathy; β-alanine inhibits AARS1-mediated lactylation and attenuates ferroptosis in model mice. |
Co-immunoprecipitation, transcriptomic and lipidomic analyses, AARS1 heterozygous mouse model, molecular biological assays |
Cell death and differentiation |
Medium |
40987895
|
| 2026 |
AARS1 lactylates STAT1 at K193, inhibiting its binding to JAK2 and phosphorylation, thereby disrupting IFN-γ signaling and reducing downstream chemokine expression (CXCL9/10/11), facilitating tumor immune escape; a cell-penetrating peptide targeting K193 lactylation restored IFN-γ responsiveness. |
Co-immunoprecipitation, phosphorylation assays, loss-of-function studies, peptide inhibitor |
Cell reports |
Medium |
41832952
|
| 2025 |
AARS1 directly lactylates Akt and the NF-κB subunit p65, enhancing their phosphorylation and activation, which impairs autophagy, promotes inflammation and tubular injury in diabetic kidney disease; kidney-specific Aars1 knockout or β-alanine treatment reduced these effects in mouse models. |
CUT and Tag, ChIP assays, luciferase reporter assays, CRISPR/Cas9 KO cells, kidney-specific knockout mice, streptozotocin and db/db diabetic models |
Cellular & molecular biology letters |
Medium |
42215867
|
| 2025 |
A single-point mutation L219M in AlaRS (from Methylomonas sp.) eliminates serine misactivation; structural analysis revealed that flexibility of Val204 is key to blocking serine binding in the mutant. The same mutation also eliminates the enzyme's inherent lactyltransferase activity, linking the lactate-binding/activation pocket to the serine misactivation mechanism. |
X-ray crystallography (pre-activation state structure), in vitro aminoacylation kinetic assays, in vitro lactyltransferase assay, site-directed mutagenesis |
Nucleic acids research |
Medium |
40479712
|
| 2026 |
AARS1 catalyzes lactylation of ATRIP at K127 in neuronal processes during sepsis, triggering ATRIP-ATR complex formation and pathway activation independent of DNA damage, causing excessive autophagy, synaptic dysfunction and neuronal process injury; L-alanine competitively inhibits lactate binding to AARS1 and suppresses this signaling. |
In vivo CLP sepsis mouse model, AARS1 knockdown, ATR inhibitor, lactylation site mapping, behavioral assays |
Brain, behavior, and immunity |
Medium |
41713664
|
| 2025 |
AARS1 lactylates Osterix (Osx) transcription factor, increasing its binding to target gene promoters and promoting interaction with WDR5, which facilitates H3K4 tri-methylation on downstream target genes, enhancing osteoblast differentiation; silencing of AARS1 impaired alkaline phosphatase activity and mineralized nodule formation. |
Chromatin immunoprecipitation, Co-immunoprecipitation, loss-of-function knockdown, ALP activity assay, Alizarin Red staining |
Acta histochemica |
Medium |
40505545
|
| 2026 |
AARS1 mediates lactylation of AKR1B10 at K173, stabilizing AKR1B10 by blocking MIB1-mediated ubiquitin-proteasomal degradation; stabilized AKR1B10 interacts with LDHA, promotes LDHA Y10 phosphorylation and glycolytic lactate production, which drives H3K18 lactylation and transcriptional upregulation of LDHA, forming a self-reinforcing circuit driving lenvatinib resistance in HCC. |
Co-immunoprecipitation, mass spectrometry, ubiquitination assay, western blot, functional metabolic assays (Seahorse XF) |
Clinical and translational medicine |
Medium |
41454479
|
| 2024 |
Comprehensive humanized yeast model assessment of AARS1 recessive disease variants showed the majority cause variable loss-of-function effects; K81T AARS1 demonstrated both loss-of-function and dominant-negative effects, indicating certain AARS1 variants can cause both dominant and recessive phenotypes. |
Humanized yeast complementation assay (side-by-side comparison of all reported recessive missense variants) |
bioRxivpreprint |
Medium |
38979321
|
| 2025 |
AARS1 promotes endometriosis by lactylating Snail1 to maintain its protein stability, enhancing epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in endometriotic stromal cells. |
Co-immunoprecipitation, loss-of-function knockdown, cell proliferation/migration/invasion assays |
Biology of reproduction |
Low |
40815826
|