Full details of the total synthesis of phostriecin (2), the assignment of its relative and absolute stereochemistry, and the resultant structural reassignment of the natural product previously represented as sultriecin (1), a phosphate versus sulfate monoester, are detailed. Studies with authentic material confirmed that phostriecin, but not sultriecin, is an effective and selective inhibitor of protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) defining a mechanism of action responsible for its antitumor activity. The extension of the studies to the synthesis and evaluation of a series of key synthetic analogues is disclosed that highlights the importance of the natural product phosphate monoester (vs sulfate or free alcohol, both inactive and >250-fold), the α,β-unsaturated lactone (12-fold), and the hydrophobic Z,Z,E-triene tail (C12-C22, ca. 200-fold) including the unique importance of its unsaturation (50-fold, and no longer PP2A selective).