(a) Extension of primers using the indicated diastereoisomers of dPTPαS with Taq and 9°N (modified) DNA polymerases for the times indicated. The positions of migration of the unextended primer, primer extended by 1 nt and the primer extended by 2 nt, are indicated by P(N), N + 1, N + 2, respectively. The amount of oligonucleotide loaded to mark the position where the primer runs (lane 1) was less than for other lanes in the gel; (b) Exo III digestion of the products of 2-min primer extension reactions using the indicated diastereomers (S or R) of alpha-thio-dPTP (from Figure 5a). Each primer extension product was purified with a QIAquick column and digested with 20 Units of Exo III for the indicated times. The control shows the degradation of 5′-32P-labeled primer Z-SS-S19 (25mer) in a duplex with unlabeled Z-51-Temp, establishing that these are degraded by Exo III.