SPHINGOSINE, AN ENIGMATIC LIPID - A REVIEW OF RECENT LITERATURE SYNTHESES

Sphingolipids are ubiquitous membrane components of essentially all eu karyotic cells. There are currently over 300 known sphingolipids with distinct head groups all containing the sphingoid base backbone. In ad dition to D-erythro-sphingosine there are over 60 other sphingoid base structures found elsewhere in nature. Sphingosine has been a target o f synthetic interest since mid-1950's and well over 50 syntheses have since been published. In this review we describe the sphingosine synth eses until the end of 1997.