Synthesis of sphingosine relatives. Part IV. Synthesis and biological activity of the isomers and analogs of (4E,8E,2S,3R,2'R)-N-2'-hydroxyhexadecanoyl-9-methyl-4,8-sphingadienine, the ceramide portion of the fruiting-inducing cerebroside in a basidiomycete Schizophyllum commune.

The title compounds were synthesized by employing 2-aminohexadecanoic acid and serine as the chiral sources, and served for an assay of fruiting-inducing activity on Schizophyllum commune. The structure-bioactivity relationship among closely related synthetic ceramides is discussed.