chk

Chk is a shorthand that can refer to several distinct concepts across disciplines. Because it is not a fixed term, its meaning depends on context. In biology and medicine, CHK commonly refers to checkpoint kinases, notably CHK1 and CHK2, encoded by CHEK1 and CHEK2. These serine/threonine kinases are key mediators of the cellular response to DNA damage. They help halt the cell cycle to allow repair, and they participate in broader pathways of genomic stability. In research and clinical contexts, "Chk" is often used as an informal label for these proteins or for experiments involving them. In cancer biology, CHK inhibitors are explored as therapeutic agents to sensitize tumor cells to DNA-damaging treatments.

In computing and information technology, CHK often denotes checksum or check-related concepts. A checksum is a value used to verify data integrity, and "chk" may appear in filenames, patch notes, or tool outputs as a shorthand for such checks. The Windows utility CHKDSK is used to detect and repair disk errors; while typically written as CHKDSK, the root "CHK" element is widely understood in documentation and error messages to signal disk-check operations. In other contexts, "chk" may be part of a command, script label, or product name and is not tied to a single standard meaning.

See also: CHKDSK, CHEK.