Background: Methionyl-tRNA synthetase (MARS) links methionine to its cognate tRNA required for translation. MARS mutations have been linked to adult-onset CMT2U. Methods: The proband had weakness in her first year of life, sitting at 11 months and walking at 20 months old. At 4 years old she was areflexic with distal > proximal weakness. Nerve conduction studies showed normal median and sural sensory responses with absent common peroneal, low median and tibial motor amplitudes. EMG noted denervation and quadriceps biopsy revealed neurogenic atrophy. Genetic testing for spinal muscular atrophy and sequencing of MNF2, RAB7A, LMNA, MPZ, HSPB1, NEFL, GADP1, TRPV4, HSPB8, GJB1 and PLEK8G5 were negative. She stopped walking at 9 years old and could not raise her arms above her head at 11 years old. Results: Exome sequencing identified MARS: c.1189G>A; p.Ala397Thr. To determine the functional consequences of p.A397T-MARS, yeast complementation assays were performed. Wild type or mutant MARS were cloned into yeast lacking the endogenous MARS ortholog. Wild-type MARS supported robust cellular growth, while the p.A397T-MARS insert did not support cellular growth confirming deleterious effect of this variant. Conclusions: Our patient’s phenotype was similar to children with motor-predominant GARS mutations. Functional data notes this MARS variant to be damaging and predictive of a severe, early-onset phenotype.