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Abstract
Fibres in the middle part of the hypocotyl of young flax plantlets are organised in a circle of one hundred cells around the vascular cylinder. Apart from cellulose, their walls, of large thickness (2-5 μm), contain 30 to 50% of non-cellulosic polysaccharides (NCPs). NCPs consist mainly of β-(1-4)-galactan, together with rhamnogalacturonan of type I and polygalacturonic acid. Transmission electronic microscopy, coupled with immunocytochemical labellings shows that arabinogalactan proteins are also present and may contribute to the galactose and arabinose contents of cell walls. Mannose is one of the sugars tightly bound to cellulose residue, indicating that mannoseenriched polymers are good candidates to cross-link pectins with cellulose microfibrils.