The disruption of the intestinal epithelial barrier function occurs commonly in various pathologies, but the exact mechanisms responsible are unclear. The H19 long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) regulates the expression of different genes and has been implicated in human genetic disorders and cancer. Here, we report that H19 plays an important role in controlling the intestinal epithelial barrier function by serving as a precursor for microRNA 675 (miR-675). H19 overexpression increased the cellular abundance of miR-675, which in turn destabilized and repressed the translation of mRNAs encoding tight junction protein ZO-1 and adherens junction E-cadherin, resulting in the dysfunction of the epithelial barrier. Increasing the level of the RNA-binding protein HuR in cells overexpressing H19 prevented the stimulation of miR-675 processing from H19, promoted ZO-1 and E-cadherin expression, and restored the epithelial barrier function to a nearly normal level. In contrast, the targeted deletion of HuR in intestinal epithelial cells enhanced miR-675 production in the mucosa and delayed the recovery of the gut barrier function after exposure to mesenteric ischemia/reperfusion. These results indicate that H19 interacts with HuR and regulates the intestinal epithelial barrier function via the H19-encoded miR-675 by altering ZO-1 and E-cadherin expression posttranscriptionally.T he majority of the mammalian genome is transcribed into a vast number of noncoding RNAs, whereas protein-coding transcripts account for only a minority of transcriptional output (1, 2). Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are defined as transcribed RNAs spanning Ͼ200 nucleotides in length that lack protein-coding capacity and are distinct from well-characterized structural RNAs (rRNAs, tRNAs, snRNAs, and snoRNAs) or small regulatory RNAs (3, 4). lncRNAs arise from intergenic, antisense, or promoter-proximal regions, and they share many features with mRNAs. Both classes of RNA can be transcribed from multiexonic genes and possess a 5=-methyl-guanosine cap and 3=-poly(A) tail (1,3,5). Some lncRNAs are ubiquitous, but others are dynamically expressed in tissue-, differentiation stage-, and cell type-specific patterns (4, 6). lncRNAs have been involved in a variety of cellular functions, physiologic processes, and disease states by modulating gene expression at different levels, including chromatin remodeling, transcriptional and posttranscriptional control, and protein metabolism (1, 3, 4). lncRNAs can serve as repressors or activators of gene transcription, as has been extensively reported (1, 4), but lncRNAs also can regulate mRNA decay and translation, working jointly with microRNAs (miRNAs) and RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) (7-9).Intercellular junction complexes, comprising tight junctions (TJs) and adherens junctions (AJs), fence the paracellular space in simple epithelia, such as those lining the intestine, kidneys, and lung, and form an important barrier against a wide array of noxious substances present in the lumen (10, 11). In the intestine, the disruption...