Effect of methyl-branched fatty acids on the structure of lipid bilayers

Methyl-branched fatty acids are widespread in prokaryotic membranes. Although anteiso and iso branching (that is on the antepenultimate and penultimate carbons) and the presence of multiple methyl branches in the phytanoyl chain are known to modify the thermotropic behavior and enhance the fluidity of lipid bilayers, little is known about the effect of methyl branching on the structure of lipid bilayers. In this study, molecular dynamics simulations are used to examine systematically the impact of one or more methyl branches at different positions along the sn-1 palmitoyl chain on the structural properties of a 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPPC) lipid bilayer. It is found that methyl branching reduces lipid condensation, decreases the bilayer thickness, and lowers chain ordering. Branching also results in the formation of kinks at the branching point, thereby enhancing the fluidity of lipid bilayers. Furthermore, this effect varies in a methyl-position-dependent fashion. In the case of polymethylated chains, the simulations suggest that if the gap between the methyl groups is sufficient (two or three carbons), the effects of the methyl branches are additive and equivalent to the combined effect of the corresponding monomethyl-branched lipids.