The microfibril is a very fine fibril

Fibril

Fibril is a fine fiber approximately 1 nm in diameter.Cytoplasmic fibrils are observed on the protoplasmic cylinders found in most spirochetal species, although no function of the cytoplasmic fibrils has been ascribed....

, or fiber-like strand, consisting of glycoproteins and cellulose. It is usually, but not always, used as a general term in describing the structure of protein fiber, examples are hair

Hair

Hair is a filamentous biomaterial, that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Found exclusively in mammals, hair is one of the defining characteristics of the mammalian class....

 and sperm

Spermatozoon

A spermatozoon is a motile sperm cell, or moving form of the haploid cell that is the male gamete. A spermatozoon joins an ovum to form a zygote...

 tail. Its most frequently observed structural pattern is 9+2 pattern in which two central protofibrils are surrounded by nine other pairs. Cellulose inside plants is one of the examples of non-protein compounds that are using this term with the same purpose. Cellulose microfibrils are laid down in the inner surface of the primary cell wall. As the cell absorbs water, its volume increases and the existing microfibrils separate and new ones are formed to help increase cell strength.

Synthesis and Function

The cellulose is synthesized by cellulose synthase or Rosette terminal complexes which reside on a cells membrane. As cellulose fibrils are synthesized and grow extracellularly they push up against neighboring cells. Since the neighboring cell can not move easily the rosette complex is instead pushed around the cell through the fluid phospholipid membrane. Eventually this results in the cell becoming wrapped in a microfibril layer. This layer becomes the cell wall.
The organization of microfibrils forming the primary cell wall are rather disorganized. However, another mechanism is used in secondary cell walls leading to its organization. Essentially, lanes on the secondary cell wall are built with microtubules. These lanes force microfibrils to remain in a certain area while they wrap. During this process microtubules can spontaneously depolymerize and repolymerize in a different orientation. This leads to a different direction in which the cell continues getting wrapped.

Marfan Syndrome

In Marfan syndrome

Marfan syndrome

Marfan syndrome is a genetic disorder of the connective tissue. People with Marfan's tend to be unusually tall, with long limbs and long, thin fingers....

, there is a defect in fibrillin

Fibrillin

Fibrillin is a glycoprotein, which is essential for the formation of elastic fibers found in connective tissue.Fibrillin is secreted into the extracellular matrix by fibroblasts and becomes incorporated into the insoluble microfibrils, which appear to provide a scaffoldfor deposition of elastin.It...

, the glycoprotein component of microfibrils.