Publications

Pubmed

Mazumder A, Cooper J, Goksal C, Khanduja JS, Joh RI, Groos JJ, Brockhausen RYJ, Kanoh J, Motamedi M, Finkelstein IJ, Al-Sady B*, Braun S*. 
Discrete Subdomains Establish Epigenetic Diversity in Subtelomeric Heterochromatin
bioRxiv. 2025 Sep 25:2025.09.25.678047.

Muhammad A, Sarkadi Z, Mazumder A, Ait Saada A, van Emden T, Capella M, Fekete G, Suma Sreechakram VN, Al-Sady B, Lambert SAE, Papp B, Barrales RR, Braun S.
A systematic quantitative approach comprehensively defines domain-specific functional pathways linked to Schizosaccharomyces pombe heterochromatin regulation.
Nucleic Acids Res. 2024 Dec 11;52(22):13665-13689. doi: 10.1093/nar/gkae1024.

Kennedy DR, Lemière J, Amine AA, Martin E, Tan C, Simental E, Braxton J, Maxwell RA, Al-Sady B.
Phosphorylation of HP1/Swi6 relieves competition with Suv39/Clr4 on nucleosomes and enables H3K9 trimethyl spreading.
Nucleic Acids Research.2025 Nov 26;53(22):gkaf1244

Marin HC, Allen C, Simental S,  Martin EW, Panning B,  Al-Sady B, Buchwalter A .
The nuclear periphery confers repression on H3K9me2-marked genes and transposons to shape cell fate.
Nature Cell Biology. 2025 Aug;27(8):1311-1326.

Hamali B, Amine AAA, Al-Sady B. 
Regulation of the heterochromatin spreading reaction by trans- acting factors.
Open Biol. 2023 Nov;13(11):230271. doi: 10.1098/rsob.230271. Epub 2023 Nov 8. PMID: 37935357 Review

Challal D, Menant A, Goksal C, Leroy E, Al-Sady B, Rougemaille M 
A dual, catalytic role for the fission yeast Ccr4-Not complex in gene silencing and heterochromatin spreading. 
Genetics. 2023 Jun 6 Jun 6:iyad108. doi: 10.1093/genetics/iyad108 

Öztürk M, Freiwald A, Cartano J, Schmitt R, Dejung M, Luck K, Al-Sady B, Braun S, Levin M, Butter F. 
Proteome effects of genome-wide single gene perturbations. 
Nat Commun. 2022 Oct 18;13(1):6153. doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-33814-8.

Greenstein R.A. *, Ng H*, Barrales RR, Tan C, Braun S, Al-Sady B. 
Local chromatin context regulates the genetic requirements of the heterochromatin spreading reaction. 
PloS Genetics 2022, May 18;18(5):e1010201. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1010201.

Murawska M, Greenstein RA, Schauer T, Olsen KCF, Ng H, Ladurner AG, Al-Sady B, Braun S. 
The histone chaperone FACT facilitates heterochromatin spreading by regulating histone turnover and H3K9 methylation states. 
Cell Reports 2021 Nov 2;37(5):109944. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109944.

Sanchez NA, Kallweit LM, Trnka MJ, Clemmer CL, Al-Sady B. 
Heterodimerization of H3K9 histone methyltransferases G9a and GLP activates methyl reading and writing capabilities
J Biol Chem. 2021 Nov;297(5):101276. doi: 10.1016/j.jbc.2021.101276. Epub 2021 Oct 5.

Greenstein RA, Barrales RR, Sanchez NA, Bisanz JE, Braun, S, Al-Sady B Set1/COMPASS repels heterochromatin invasion at euchromatic sites by disrupting Suv39/Clr4 activity and nucleosome stability.
Genes & Development. 2019; Dec 5. doi: 10.1101/gad.328468.119.

Greenstein RA, Jones Jr. SK, Spivey EC, Rybarski JR, Finkelstein IJ, Al-Sady B Noncoding RNA -nucleated heterochromatin spreading is intrisincally labile and requires accessory elements for epigenetic stability. 
eLife. 2018; 7:e32948 DOI: 10.7554/eLife.32948

Al-Sady B, Greenstein RA, El-Samad HJ, Braun S, Madhani HD. Sensitive and Quantitative 
Three-Color Protein Imaging in Fission Yeast Using Spectrally Diverse, Recoded Fluorescent Proteins with Experimentally-Characterized In Vivo Maturation Kinetics. 
PLoS One. 2016 Aug 1;11(8):e0159292. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0159292. eCollection 2016.

Garcia JF, Al-Sady B, Madhani HD. G3 
Intrinsic Toxicity of Unchecked Heterochromatin Spread Is Suppressed by Redundant Chromatin Boundary Functions in Schizosacchromyces pombe. 
G3 Bethesda. 2015 May 8. pii: g3.115.018663. doi: 10.1534/g3.115.018663

Al-Sady B, Madhani HD and Narlikar GJ 
Division of labor between the chromodomains of HP1 and Suv39 methylase enables coordination of heterochromatin spread. 
Molecular Cell, 2013, Jul 11; 51(1):80-91.

Shiau C, Trnka MJ, Bozicevic A, Ortiz Torres I, Al-Sady  B, Burlingame AL, Narlikar GJ, Galonić Fujimori D
Reconstitution of nucleosome demethylation and catalytic properties of a jumonji histone demethylase. 
Chemistry and Biology 20, 494 (2013)

Canzio D, Chang E, Shankar S, Kuchenbecker K, Simon MD, Madhani HD, Narlikar GJ* and Al-Sady B* 
Chromodomain-mediated oligomerization of HP1 suggests a nucleosome bridging mechanism for heterochromatin assembly. 
Molecular Cell, 2011, Jan 7;41(1):67-81.  *corresponding authors.

Leivar P, Tepperman JM, Cohn MM, Monte E, Al-Sady B, Erickson E and Quail PH Dynamic Antagonism Between Phytochromes and PIF-family bHLH Factors Generates Selective Reciprocal Responses During Deetiolation and Shade-avoidance in a Rapidly Light-responsive Transcriptional Network 
Plant Cell. April 2012

Al-Sady B, Kikis E, Monte E and Quail PH 
Mechanistic duality of transcription factor function in phytochrome signaling Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U S A. 2008, Feb 12;105(6):2232-7.

Leivar P *, Monte E *, Al-Sady B, Carle C, Storer A, Alonso JM, Ecker JR, and Quail PH 
The Arabidopsis
phytochrome-interacting factor PIF7, together with PIF3 and PIF4, regulates responses to prolonged red light
by modulating phyB levels. 
Plant Cell. 2008 Feb; 20(2):337-52. Epub 2008 Feb 5. *shared authorship

Al-Sady B, Ni W, Kircher S, Schäfer E and Quail PH 
Photoactivated phytochrome induces rapid PIF3 phosphorylation prior to proteasome-mediated degradation 
Molecular Cell, 2006, Aug 4; 23,(3): 439-446

Metz M, Dahlbeck D, Morales CQ, Al-Sady B, Clark ET, Staskawicz BJ 
The conserved Xanthomonas campestris pv. esicatoria effector protein XopX is a virulence factor and suppresses host defense in Nicotiana benthamiana. 
Plant Journal. 2005 Mar; 41 (6):801-14.

Huq E, Al-Sady BHudson M, Kim C, Apel K, Quail PH 
Phytochrome-interacting factor 1 is a critical bHLH regulator of chlorophyll biosynthesis. 
Science, 2004, Sep 24; 305 (5692):1937-41.

Monte E, Tepperman J, Al-Sady B,Kaczorowski KA, Alonso JM, Ecker JR, Li X, Zhang Y, Quail PH. 
The phytochrome-interacting transcription factor, PIF3, acts early, selectively, and positively in light-induced chloroplast development. 
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U S A, 2004 Nov 16; 101 (46):16091-8.

Khanna R, Huq, E, Kikis E, Al-Sady B, Lanzatella C and Quail PH 
A novel molecular recognition motif necessary for targeting photoactivated phytochrome signaling to specific basic helix-loop-helix transcription factors. 
Plant Cell. 2004 Nov; 16 (11):3033-44.

Huq E, Al-Sady B and Quail PH 
Nuclear import of Phytochrome B is necessary for its biological function. 
Plant Journal, 2003, Sep; 35 (5):660-4.