LAUSR

&NA; Dopamine (DA), a significant member of catecholamines, is reported to induce biomineralization of calcium carbonate vaterite microspheres via dopamine receptor (DR) in bivalves, implying the modulation of dopaminergic system on shell formation during larval development. In this research, a homologue of D1 type DR (CgD1DR‐1) was identified from oyster Crassostrea gigas, whose full length cDNA was 1197 bp. It was widely expressed in various tissues of C. gigas, with the significantly higher levels in hepatopancreas, mantle, muscle and gill. During developmental stages, the mRNA transcripts of CgD1DR‐1 in D‐shape larvae were obviously higher (p < 0.05) than those in trochophore and umbo larvae, and CO2 exposure could inhibit the synthesis of DA and mRNA expression of CgD1DR‐1. After cell transfection and DA treatment, intracellular cAMP in cells with the expression of CgD1DR‐1 increased significantly (p < 0.05). Furthermore, the incubation with SCH 23390 for the blockage of CgD1DR‐1 significantly restrained the expressions of six shell formation‐related genes including CgTyrosinase‐1, CgTyrosinase‐3, CgChitinaseLP, CgAMC, CgBMP and CgBMPR in trochophore and D‐shape larvae. These results jointly suggested that DA together with its receptor CgD1DR‐1 might be involved in shell formation during oyster larval development from trochophore to D‐shape larvae, and CO2‐induced ocean acidification (OA) might influence marine bivalves by inhibiting the DA‐D1DR pathway to prohibit their shell formation.