  We investigate the relationship between the variable gamma-ray emission and
jet properties in the blazar 3C 279, by combining the Fermi/LAT data spanning a
period of eight years with concurrent radio measurements made at multiple
epochs with VLBA at 15 and 43 GHz within the MOJAVE and VLBA-BU monitoring
programs. The aim of this paper is to compare the flux variability of the
different components found in the VLBA observations, to the variability in the
gamma-rays. This analysis helps to investigate whether any of the jet
components can be associated with the gamma-ray variability. Through Spearman
rank correlation we found that the gamma-ray variability is correlated with a
particular region (feature B, in the MOJAVE images) downstream from the
observed base (core) of the jet. This jet component is, therefore, a likely
location at which an important fraction of the variable gamma-ray emission is
produced. We also calculated the average proper motion of the component with
respect to the VLBA core and found that it moves at an apparent superluminal
velocity of $(3.70 \pm 0.35)c$, implying that one of the gamma-ray emission
zones is not stationary. This jet component is also found between 6.86 mas and
8.68 mas, which translates to a distance from the radio core of at least 42 pc.
