Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF), named for its role in inhibiting macrophage/monocyte migration, has multiple functions in modulation of inflammation, cell proliferation, angiogenesis, and tumorigenesis in vertebrates. Although homologs of this gene can be found in plants, the function of MIF in plants remains obscure. Here, we characterized  Ta MIF1 in  Triticum aestivum  resembling the MIF secreted from  Homo sapiens . Transcript analysis revealed that  TaMIF1  responded to stripe rust infection of wheat and was upregulated during the infection stage.  Ta MIF1 was localized to both the cytosol and nuclei in wheat mesophyll protoplast. Additionally,  Ta MIF1 possessed significant tautomerase activity, indicating conservation of MIFs across kingdoms.  Agrobacterium tumefaciens  infiltration assay demonstrated that  Ta MIF1 was capable of suppressing programmed cell death hinting its role in plant immunity. Heterologous expression of  Ta MIF1 increased fission yeast sensitivity to oxidative stress. Silencing  TaMIF1  decreased the susceptibility of wheat to  Pst  seemingly through increasing reactive oxygen species accumulation. In conclusion, functions of the  Ta MIF1 were investigated in this study, which provides significant insight into understanding the role of MIFs across kingdoms.