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Aleks Rajkovic
Aleksandar Rajkovic, MD, PhD

Chief Genomics Officer (CGO) of UCSF Health
Joint academic appointment as a UCSF professor in the departments of Pathology and of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences
Stuart Lindsay Distinguished Professor in Experimental Pathology

 

Hospital Affiliations

  • UCSF Mission Bay
  • UCSF Parnassus Heights
  • UCSF Mount Zion

Other UCSF Organizational Association(s)

  • Precision Medicine Committee, Member
  • Center for Maternal Fetal Precision Medicine, Advisory Board Member, Institute of Human Genetics Education Committee, Member,
  • School of Medicine Institute of Human Genetics Steering Committee, Member

Research/Clinical Interests

Research interests lie in the basic and translational medical sciences in the area of reproductive genetics and reproductive tract development. Laboratory goals are to understand genetic underpinnings of human infertility and accelerated aging of the reproductive tract. Dr. Rajkovic’s laboratory discovered numerous oocyte specific transcriptional regulators such as Nobox and Lhx8 that are critical regulators of oocyte differentiation and female gonadal formation. Also discovered: Sohlh1 and Sohlh2, two transcriptional regulators that are involved in both male and female gonadal development and germ cell differentiation, as well as major checkpoint regulator of male and female meiosis, Hormad1.

In addition to animal models of gonadal development, they apply next generation sequencing technologies to identify genetic etiology of reproductive tract pathologies, including recent findings that DNA damage response genes such as MCM8 and MCM9 play important role in gonadal dysgenesis and male and female infertility. They recently utilized genomic approaches and mouse models to understand genetic mechanisms that underlie leiomyoma tumor formation. They are currently using mouse models of Med12 gene variants to understand their role in reproduction and tumorigenesis.

Specialty Areas
  • Reproductive Genomics
  • Oogenesis
  • Ovarian Development
  • Germline Differentiation
  • Uterine Leiomyomas

Education/Training

Year Institution & Location Degree Field of Study
1985 Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore BS Chemistry
1992 Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland MD/PHD Medicine & Molecular Biology
1997 Metrohealth Medical Center, Cleveland Residency Obstetrics and Gynecology
1997 Metrohealth Medical Center, Cleveland Fellowship Maternal-Fetal Medicine
1999 Baylor College of Medicine Medical Genetic Residency Medical Genetics

Achievements & Recognition

2018 Stuart Lindsay Distinguished Professor in Experimental Pathology I
2017 Elected to Association of American Physicians
2016 Keynote Speaker, International Federation of Fertility Societies
2013 Elected to American Association of Physicians (AAP)
2013 Marcus Allen Hogge Chair in Reproductive Sciences
1997 Peter Adam Research Award, Metrohealth Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio
1997 First Place Award, Research Day, Cleveland Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology
1985 Phi Beta Kappa Society Honor Society
1985 American Chemical Society Award for Outstanding Achievement in Chemistry

Selected Publications

  • Shin YH, Ren Y, Suzuki H, Golnoski KJ, Ahn HW, Mico V, Rajkovic A. (2017) Transcription Factors SOHLH2 Coordinate Differentiation without Affecting Meiosis l. J Clin Invest.,May 15. PMID: 28504655
  • Mittal P, Shin YH, Yatsenko SA, Castro CA, Surti U, Rajkovic A. (2015) Med12 gain-of-function mutation causes leiomyomas and genomic instability. J Clin Invest., Jul 20. PMID: 26193636
  • AlAsiri S, Basit S, Wood-Trageser MA, Yatsenko SA, Jeffries EP, Surti U, Jiang H, Trakselis MA, Rajkovic A. (2014) Exome sequencing reveals MCM8 mutation underlies ovarian failure and chromosomal instability. J Clin Invest., Dec 1, PMID: 25437880
  • Wood-Trageser MA, Gurbuz F, Yatsenko SA, Jeffries EP, Kotan LD, Surti U, Ketterer DM, Matic J, J, Jiang H, Trakselis MA, Topaloglu AK, Rajkovic A. (2014) MCM9 mutations are associated with ovarian failure, short stature, and chromosomal instability, Am J Hum Genet Dec 4;95(6):754-62, PMID: 25480036
  • Suzuki H, Ahn HW, Chu T, Bowden W, Gassei K, Orwig K, Rajkovic A. (2012) SOHLH1 and SOHLH2 coordinate spermatogonial differentiation. Dev Biol. 2012 Jan; 361(2):301-12. PubMed PMID: 22056784
  • Shin Y, Choi Y, Erdin SU, Yatsenko SA, Kloc M, Yang F, Wang PJ, Meistrich ML, Rajkovic, A (2010) HORMAD1 mutation disrupts synaptonemal complex formation, recombination, and chromosome segregation in Mammalian meiosis. PLoS Genet. 2010 Nov: 6(11):e1001190. PubMed PMID: 21079677
  • Chlebowski RT, Kuller LH, Prentice RL, Stefanick ML, Manson JE, Gass M, Aragaki AK, Ockene JK, Lane DS, Sarto GE, Rajkovic A, Schenken R, Hendrix SL, Ravdin PM, Rohan TE, Yasmeen S, Anderson G; WHI Investigators. (2009) Breast cancer after use of estrogen plus progestin in postmenopausal women. N Engl J Med. 2009 Feb; 360(6):573-87. PubMed PMID: 19196674
  • Ballow D, Meistrich M, Matzuk M, Rajkovic A, (2006) SOHLH1 is essential in spermatogonial differentiation. Dev Biol. 2006 Jun; 294(1):161-7. PubMed PMID: 16564520
  • Pangas S, Choi Y, Ballow D, Zhao Y, Westphal H, Matzuk M, Rajkovic A. (2006) Oogenesis requires germ cell-specific transcriptional regulators SOHLH1 and LHX8. Proc Natl Acad Sci U.S.A. 2006 May; 103(21): 8090-5.
  • Rajkovic A, Pangas SA, Ballow D, Suzumori N, Matzuk MM. (2004) NOBOX deficiency disrupts early folliculogenesis and oocyte-specific gene expression. Science. 2004 Aug; 305(5687):1157-9. PubMed PMID: 15326356.