Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is a cytokine with pleiotropic actions that is produced by several organs and cell types. Depending on the target cell and the inflammatory context, MIF can engage its two component receptor complex CD74 and CD44, and the chemokine receptors CXCR2/4. MIF is constitutively expressed in renal proximal tubular cells, stored in intracellular preformed pools and is released at a low rate. Recently a second MIF-like protein (i.e. MIF-2/D-DT) has been characterized in mammals. Our study was aimed at examining the role of MIF-2/D-DT, which mediates tissue protection in the heart, in tubular cell regeneration from IR injury. We found that Mif-/-, Mif-2-/- and Cd74-/- mice had significantly worse tubular injury compared to WT control mice and that treatment with MIF-2/D-DT significantly improved recovery of injured epithelial cells. RNAseq analysis of kidney tissue from the IR injury model revealed MIF-2/D-DT treatment to stimulates SLPI and cyclin D1 expression. MIF-2/D-DT additionally activates of eIF2α and ATF4, two transcription factors involved in the integrated stress response (ISR), which is a cellular stress response activated by hypoxia, nutrient deprivation and oxygen radicals. MIF-2/D-DT also inhibited apoptosis and induced autophagy in hypoxia treated MPT cells. These results indicate that MIF-2/D-DT is an important factor in tubular cell regeneration and may be of therapeutic utility as a regenerative agent in the clinical setting of ischemic AKI.