COX15 deficiency causes oocyte ferroptosis

Mitochondria play diverse roles in mammalian physiology. The architecture, activity, and physiological functions of mitochondria in oocytes are largely different from those in somatic cells, but the mitochondrial proteins related to oocyte quality and reproductive longevity remain largely unknown. Here, using whole-exome sequencing data from 1,024 women (characterized by oocyte maturation arrest and degenerated or morphologically abnormal oocytes) and 2,868 healthy controls, we performed a population and gene-based burden test for mitochondrial genes and identified a candidate gene, cytochrome c oxidase assembly protein 15 (