Pregnancy damps thermoregulatory rhythms across timescales through neural estrogen signaling in mice

In the associated manuscript, we show that pregnancy profoundly reshapes thermoregulatory dynamics across diurnal and ultradian timescales, and identify estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) signaling in the preoptic area (POA) as a central mediator of these effects. During pregnancy, ERα-expressing in neurons of the medial POA (MPO) show enhanced estrogen signaling and hormone-responsive gene expression changes.

Silencing ERα neurons or selectively deleting ERα in the POA attenuates pregnancy-induced decreases in Tc and its rhythmicity, leading to alterations in gestational length and/or birth weight. Together, these findings demonstrate that ERα signaling within the POA coordinates adaptive remodeling of thermoregulatory rhythms during pregnancy, with direct consequences on fetal outcomes. Here, we share transcriptomic data from ERα-expressing neurons in the MPO from non-pregnant and late pregnant mice.