Interesting question - there are really no "normal" cell lines to compare with these cell types (A549 H1299), as all immortal cell lines mimic aspects of cancerous cells e.g. uncontrolled growth, altered apoptosis. I would in any case be wary of comparing different cell types (e.g. epithelial origin vs fibroblast origin). I would suggest using a primary cell type (i.e. not an immortal cell line), such as human lung epithelial cells, and keep below about 5 passages for safety. These can be obtained commercially or cultured from clinical biopsies if the facilities are present clinically.

I agree with Jeremy's comments that there are no truly "normal" cell lines, but I am also unaware of your application of these lines. If you are looking to see if your protein is an oncogene or tumor suppressor using assays such as soft agar and tumor growth in mice, a "normal" cell line such as HBEC could prove useful in your studies. However, if you are looking at other parameters, there may be better lines for you to utilize. I recommend you provide more detail on your study design to allow others to better understand your goals and provide input.

Many thanks for your suggestions.

In my PhD thesis, I intend to look at the role of actin cytoskeleton regulating protein in lung development and lung cancer.

For my In-vitro work, I want to first compare my protein level in cancerous and normal lung cells and further carry out assays to establish its role as tumor suppressor/promoter. Basically, this protein plays a dual role in cancer depending on stage and cell type. Our hypothesis is : In early stages of cancer, it behaves as a tumor suppressor and later stage it promotes invasion and metastasis.

Currently i am comparing A549 & H1299 Knockdown/control cells for Invasion, migration & proliferation studies but require a normal lung cell line.

I hope this clarifies my research :)