Researchers at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory said the three genes are located next to each other on human chromosome 14.

"Lung cancer cells in adults can reactivate genes that are normally active in the earliest stages of lung development," said lead investigator David Mu. "We identified the mutation that triggers this abnormal re-activation of developmental genes and showed that if you turn off these genes, you stop the cancer."

The research team determined the three genes -- TTF1, NKX2-8, and PAX9 -- interact to reactivate what appears to be an early fetal gene expression pattern that results in tumor growth.

"The collaboration of these genes and the fact they are so close together on the chromosome may explain why this mutation is so common in lung cancer," said study co-author Scott Powers.

The research, conducted in collaboration with William Gerald at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center appears online, ahead of print, in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.