 Noise-induced hearing loss, NIHL, is caused when prolonged exposure to loud sounds damages the stereocilia core of inner ear sensory hair cells. This damage can be seen as gaps in the phaloid-instained F-actin, which is then filled in by newly synthesized actin. These gaps are repaired within one week after exposure to loud noises due to the incorporation of newly synthesized actin. This repair process requires the presence of shen-actin binding repeat containing two XIR-P2, which binds to the gaps and recruits monomeric actin to fill them in. Additionally, XIR-P2 also binds to stress-fibre strain sites in fibroblasts, suggesting it may play a role in the repair of other tissues. This article was authored by Elizabeth L. Wagner, Jan Sabin, Stefano Salla, and others.