The association of human microtubule-associated serine/threonine (MAST) kinases with different diseases, such as neurodevelopmental disorders and cancer, leads to hight interest in understanding the function of these understudied kinases. This PhD thesis provides the first consolidated biochemical analysis of three different human MAST kinases (MAST1-3) and the Drosophila melanogaster homologue drop out protein (DOP).

S-adenosyl-L-homocysteine (SAH) hydrolases (SAHases) are involved in the regulation of methylation reactions in many organisms and are thus crucial for numerous cellular functions. Consequently, their dysregulation is associated with severe health problems. The SAHase-catalyzed reaction is reversible and both directions depend on the redox activity of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) as a cofactor. Therefore, nicotinamide cofactor biomimetics (NCB) are a promising tool to modulate SAHase activity. In the ...