Developmental characteristics of pearl oyster Pinctada fucata martensii: Insight into key molecular events related to shell formation, settlement and metamorphosis

Marine bivalves undergo complex development processes, such as shell morphology conversion and changes of anatomy and life habits. In this study, the transcriptomes of pearl oyster Pinctada fucata martensii and Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas at different development stages were analyzed to determine the key molecular events related to shell formation, settlement and metamorphosis.