What produces alpha-galactosidase?

The GLA gene carries the information necessary for forming alpha-galactosidase A. This enzyme functions within lysosomes, which are responsible for recycling cellular components. Mutations in the GLA gene may lead to a malfunction of alpha-galactosidase, resulting in lysosomal storage disorders such as Fabry disease. 

Alpha-galactosidase is produced from bacteria, fungi, and yeast. Filamentous fungi are commonly used for the production of alpha galactosidase since they can be grown on cost-effective agricultural residues and they have the ability to release significant amounts of the enzyme into the culture media. Alpha galactosidase produced from GRAS fungi, Saccharomyces and Aspergillus are widely used in the food industry. Commonly used bacterial sources of this enzyme include Bifidobacteria and lactic acid bacteria since they can be used as live cultures. Alpha galactosidase produced from yeasts has been less commonly studied; Candida guilliermondii and Debaryomyces hansenii yeasts have been shown to produce the enzyme. In addition to natural sources, alpha galactosidase is also able to be cloned and produced in several hosts (e.g. bacteria, yeast), achieving high levels of expression; this is done through recombinant DNA technology.