Activates ubiquitin by first adenylating its C-terminal glycine residue with ATP, and thereafter linking this residue to the side chain of a cysteine residue in E1, yielding a ubiquitin-E1 thioester and free AMP. ATP + ubiquitin + [E1 ubiquitin-activating enzyme]-L-cysteine = AMP + diphosphate + S-ubiquitinyl-[E1 ubiquitin-activating enzyme]-L-cysteine. Protein modification; protein ubiquitination. Monomer. The N-terminus is blocked. There are two active sites within the E1 molecule, allowing it to accommodate two ubiquitin moieties at a time, with a new ubiquitin forming an adenylate intermediate as the previous one is transferred to the thiol site. There are multiple genes encoding E1 in wheat. Belongs to the ubiquitin-activating E1 family.