Latrunculin A (l), an icthyotoxic metabolite of the sponge Latrunculia mugnifica with potent inhibitory action on microfilament-mediated processes involved in cell division, was synthesized via a convergent approach. Construction of a major segment of the latrunculin backbone was accomplished by means of a three-component coupling of aldehyde 24,@- keto ester 27, and phosphonium salt 26, which established the conjugated E, Z-diene ...