Dansyl acetyl trehalose: a novel tool to investigate the cellular fate of trehalose.

A fluorescent derivative of trehalose with two dansyl groups (DAT) has been synthesized. It is characterised by a large Stokes shift, good permeability in human living cells and a well detectable fluorescent signal within the cells. Notably, in intestinal cells DAT is sequestered in vesicles induced by trehalose pre-treatment and colocalizes with lipid droplets.