{
  "id": 6283180,
  "title": "Acetylcholine drives astrocytic JAK2-STAT3 signaling to modulate male-to-female approach behavior",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/08/acetylcholine-drives-astrocytic-jak2-stat3-signaling-to-modulate-male",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-09-08T00:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "bioRxiv",
    "slug": "biorxiv",
    "url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.02.748883v1?rss=1"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Astrocytes, known for their role in regulating neural circuits and behavior, hold a key position in linking external stimuli to long-term transcriptional programs. However, the extent of astrocyte transcription factor-based cascades remains unclear. This study reveals that the JAK2-STAT3 signaling pathway is crucial in modulating male-to-female social behavior. In response to estrus females, male mice exhibit a rapid and specific activation of STAT3 signaling in their ventral hippocampal astrocytes. This induction is not a result of traditional cytokine signaling, but rather through septo-hippocampal cholinergic inputs acting via 7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (7nAChR). The astrocytic 7nAChR-JAK2-STAT3 signaling subsequently influences vCA1 pyramidal neuron activity and is essential for context-appropriate male approach behavior. This discovery uncovers an unforeseen cellular pathway that integrates neuromodulatory inputs and transcription factor-based signaling to shape male behavioral responses based on female receptivity.",
  "summary": "Astrocytes are essential regulators of neural circuits and behavior, sensing synaptic activity and modulating plasticity through diverse intracellular mechanisms. However, the contribution of astrocyte transcription factor-based cascades, linking external stimuli to long-term transcriptional programs, is currently misunderstood. Here we show that the JAK2-STAT3 signaling plays a critical role in…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}