Cleaved Cochlin Sequesters Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Activates Innate Immunity in the Inner Ear (Cell Host & Microbe)

Jung et al. show that the cleaved cochlin LCCL domain enhances innate immune responses in the inner ear by aggregating infiltrated bacteria and recruiting innate immune cells. This spatiotemporally protective function of LCCL protects hearing function in the organ of Corti against effects of bacterial invasion in the inner ear.